Yeo Drives Again to Launch 'New Emergency Committee'... Criticism of 'Amending Party Rules to Suit Preferences'

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Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is coming out as the members' meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, was adjourned on the 30th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] On the 30th, the People Power Party held a party meeting to form a new Emergency Response Committee (hereinafter ERC) and decided to push for amendments to the party constitution and regulations to facilitate this. Although the court previously ruled that the situation did not constitute an 'emergency' warranting the establishment of an ERC, the party agreed to amend the party constitution and regulations to specify the conditions for an emergency and form a new ERC. However, there is considerable criticism within the party that this goes against the court's decision, so confusion surrounding the leadership structure is expected to continue for some time.

At the meeting, the People Power Party approved the amendment bill to the party constitution and regulations for the launch of the new ERC. The core of the amendment is Article 96, Paragraph 1 of the party constitution, which stipulates the conditions for an emergency situation to transition to an ERC. This clause states, 'when the party leader is vacant or the Supreme Council loses its function, or when an emergency situation occurs within the party.'

The People Power Party plans to add the phrase 'an emergency situation occurs if 4 out of 5 elected Supreme Council members resign' to specify the emergency conditions. Previously, the court accepted the injunction request filed by former leader Lee Jun-seok to suspend the effectiveness of the ERC and suspended the duties of ERC Chairman Joo Ho-young, indicating that the party's situation could not be considered an emergency.

However, the People Power Party believes that if the amendment passes, since 4 out of 5 elected Supreme Council members (Jo Soo-jin, Bae Hyun-jin, Jung Mi-kyung, Kim Jae-won) resigned before the launch of the Joo Ho-young ERC, it will be possible to declare an emergency. The party plans to complete the amendment procedures by holding the Standing National Committee and the National Committee before the Chuseok holidays next month and finalize the formation of the new ERC. Until then, Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong will serve as acting ERC chairman.

However, even if the new ERC is launched, there is a possibility it could be derailed again depending on the outcome of an additional injunction request filed by former leader Lee. On the 29th, Lee filed an additional injunction to suspend the duties of 8 ERC members, including Floor Leader Kwon, and the effectiveness of the ERC.

Regarding this, Representative Cho Hae-jin said on Facebook on the 30th, "The essence of the court ruling is that the ERC launch should not deprive former leader Lee of his status," adding, "Our party's amended constitution specifically defines emergency situations to eliminate the court's arbitrary interpretation, but it is difficult to rule out the possibility that Lee's side could win again in a lawsuit against the new ERC using arguments such as 'democratic legitimacy.' The party's legal advisory committee says there is no such possibility, but it cannot be guaranteed," expressing concern.

Within the party, there are also voices worried about the practice of amending the party constitution and regulations depending on the situation or purpose. Deputy Spokesperson Kwak Seung-yong mentioned on Facebook that shortly after being appointed spokesperson, he was educated about the party constitution and regulations, saying, "At that time, I never imagined a situation where the entire nation would have to look into our party's constitution and regulations daily. I never thought the constitution and regulations would change this frequently, nor that they could be changed arbitrarily even when amendments were impossible."

Whether the People Power Party's amendments to the party constitution and regulations will proceed as planned remains uncertain. This is because Seo Byung-soo, chairman of the National Committee who holds voting rights on the amendment bill, has expressed a negative stance on convening the Standing National Committee, the National Committee, and launching the new ERC.

Pressure is mounting on Chairman Seo to respond to the demand for convening the National Committee. Representative Jeon Ju-hye said in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "The position of chairman is not a place to express personal opinions but to perform roles assigned by the party," adding, "(Chairman Seo) witnessed various processes at yesterday's party meeting and is fully aware of the necessity to amend the party constitution and regulations, so I expect him to play a role in ensuring the smooth progress of the Standing National Committee and National Committee."

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