Internal Party Debate Over Party Affairs Audit: "Fratricidal Conflict" vs. "Regulated by Party Constitution and Rules"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As the People Power Party prepares to conduct a full-scale party audit of its 253 local party chapters nationwide, voices of opposition within the party are not insignificant. Ahn Cheol-soo, one of the major party leadership contenders, has also expressed concerns about 'internal division.' The party audit is expected to take at least three months, potentially affecting the schedule of next year's party convention, rumored to be held in late February to early March.

On the 1st, Ahn appeared on YTN Radio's "News King with Park Ji-hoon" and said, "If the results of the party audit lead to replacing the local party chapter heads outside the National Assembly about a year and a half before the general election, it will have a more negative impact on the election."

Previously, he argued, "Why not conduct the party audit just before the general election?" but was rebutted by Chung Jin-seok, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, who said, "You don't understand the party's circumstances well." In response, Ahn said, "I have been party leader four times," and countered, "If the party audit is used to replace people with one's own supporters and then leveraged in the party convention to elect the party leader, it will cause internal division."

Jeong Jin-seok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The People Power Party is expected to award appointment letters to the party audit committee members next week and begin full-scale party audit activities. Despite concerns within the party, Chairman Chung has strongly expressed his determination to conduct the party audit, stating that it has not been done for the past two and a half years despite being mandated annually by the party constitution and regulations.

However, the party audit and the reorganization of local party chapters, conducted together with the Organization Strengthening Special Committee (Jo Gang Teukwi), will take at least three months, potentially affecting the timing of the party convention, which is expected as early as February or March next year. In particular, if the party audit proceeds, the 'late February to early March' party convention is widely considered practically impossible. Park Sung-joong, a People Power Party lawmaker classified as 'pro-Yoon,' appeared on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on the 30th of last month and said, "We are currently conducting various investigations into our internal local party chapters. If that takes about one to two months, and then another two months are needed afterward, the earliest would be March, with April being a more realistic estimate overall."

Earlier, some media outlets speculated that the emergency committee might discuss the timing of the party convention starting today, but Chairman Chung said, "It is not the time to discuss this now," adding, "In the context of focusing on wrapping up the budget session of the National Assembly, other party affairs inevitably have to be postponed to a lower priority."

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