Will the Emergency Committee Finally Be Established... Lee Jun-seok: "A Party That Works Well Only Among Themselves"

National Committee Meeting Confirmed, Emergency Committee Launch Likely Decided by 10th
"Blocking Lee Jun-seok's Return" vs "Normalizing Emergency Situation" Internal Conflict Continues
Lee's Legal Response Including Injunction Expected

Seo Byung-su, Chairman of the People Power Party National Committee, is leaving the press conference room after finishing a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 3rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yunjin Kim] The People Power Party is accelerating its transition to an emergency response committee system. Although the launch of the emergency committee is virtually confirmed, internal conflicts within the party continue as criticisms arise that the system is designed to 'kill Lee Jun-seok'.

On the 3rd, Seo Byung-soo, chairman of the People Power Party's National Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly and announced plans to convene the Standing National Committee and the National Committee for the launch of the emergency committee. Just one day after the party leadership decided to convene the National Committee at a closed supreme council meeting on the 2nd, the procedures for transitioning to the emergency committee are proceeding rapidly. At the supreme council meeting that day, Bae Hyun-jin and Yoon Young-seok, who declared their resignation last month, attended to meet the quorum for the resolution. Park Hyung-soo, the floor spokesperson, explained to reporters that their resignation letters had not been accepted, saying, "We asked them to withhold submitting their resignation letters so that we could respond promptly if an urgent situation arises before the emergency committee is launched."

However, criticism has been raised within the party, mainly from pro-Lee Jun-seok factions, accusing them of 'resigning as a trick' to force the emergency committee system, putting the procedural legitimacy into question. On the 2nd, senior spokesperson Heo Eun-ah posted on her Facebook, "It is a unilateral decision that ignores normal procedures," and criticized, "I suspect that the current direction of discussion is not the end of confusion but a path that further fuels division." On the same day, supreme council member Kim Yong-tae appeared on TBS Radio's 'Shin Jang-sik's Shin Jang Open' and pointed out, "Everyone seems to be united on the emergency committee as if it were a promise, but there is no mention of the resignation of the floor leader who should take responsibility. If this is not a Truman Show, then what is?"

Some voices suggest that the rapid launch of the emergency committee reflects the intentions of the party's pro-Yoon Seok-yeol faction. On the 3rd, lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung stated on BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal', "The emergency committee currently being pushed by the party seems aimed at blocking Lee Jun-seok's comeback," and claimed, "The majority faction in the party believes an early party convention should be held to prevent Lee from returning." Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo also criticized on his Facebook the previous day, saying, "Is it right to push the party into chaos just because you don't like Lee?"

On the other hand, lawmakers classified as pro-Yoon denied that the transition to the emergency committee system and the push for an early party convention are related to Lee's return. Kim Ki-hyun, considered a next party leader candidate, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 3rd and emphasized, "The party's current judgment criterion is regaining public support, not whether a specific person returns or not," and stressed that the early party convention is a necessary procedure for party normalization regardless of Lee's status. Floor spokesperson Yang Geum-hee also refuted the claim that the emergency committee's launch aims to 'kill Lee Jun-seok' during a CBS Radio broadcast the previous day, saying, "Most lawmakers do not perceive it that way."

From the beginning, opinions differ on whether the party is in an 'emergency situation' that allows the emergency committee to be launched under Article 96 of the People Power Party's constitution. At the party's general meeting on the 1st, there was consensus that the leadership was left with only four members due to the suspension of the party leader's duties and the resignation declarations of three supreme council members, constituting an emergency situation where "the supreme council's function is lost." However, criticism has also been raised that some supreme council members' resignations were intentional acts to create an emergency situation. Choi Jae-hyung, chairman of the party's Innovation Committee, publicly opposed the emergency committee system on the 3rd via his Facebook, stating, "If the emergency situation is caused by voluntary resignation of supreme council members so that the party can arbitrarily switch to the emergency committee at any time, it is against party democracy."

If the emergency committee system is confirmed, Lee will not be able to return as party leader even six months after his disciplinary action ends. On the 3rd, Chairman Seo stated, "Once the emergency committee is formed, the emergency committee chairman will hold the party leader's authority, and the previous leadership will be dissolved," making it clear that Lee will also be dismissed from the party leader position. There are predictions that Lee will counterattack by filing for a provisional injunction to suspend the effect in court. On the 3rd, Lee expressed discomfort on his Facebook, writing, "After badmouthing Lee Jun-seok among themselves and seeing the text messages exposed and approval ratings drop, the solution they came up with is to block Lee Jun-seok's return."

The People Power Party plans to hold the Standing National Committee and National Committee by the 9th or 10th to approve amendments to the party constitution and appoint the emergency committee chairman. If the People Power Party transitions to the emergency committee system, all three major parties in the National Assembly, including the Democratic Party of Korea and the Justice Party, will have emergency committees. On the 2nd, Woo Sang-ho, emergency committee chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed concern at the party's general meeting, saying, "This means that the political situation in South Korea is serious and is a point for reflection," and added, "How fragile must party politics be for all parties to move to an emergency committee system?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.