"Class 3 Interferes in Electing Class 1 Leader" "Moving the Goalposts During Soccer"… Heated Debate Over Ruling in Ruling Party Leadership Election

Jin Jeong-seok, Emergency Committee Chairman: "Class 3 Should Not Disrupt Electing Class 1 Leader"
Former Lawmaker Yoo Seung-min: "Moving the Goalposts in Soccer Is Neither Fair Nor Common Sense"
Lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo: "Not Preventing Reverse Voting but Excluding People Power Supporters"

Former Assemblyman Yoo Seung-min (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] The power struggle between the party leadership and presidential candidates within the People Power Party is intensifying over whether to change the party convention rules, which is expected to take place in early March next year. Emergency Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok opened fire by saying, "Why are the kids from Class 3 coming to elect the class president of Class 1?" In response, former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, a leading figure of the 'anti-Yoon' faction, retorted, "It's like moving the goalposts during a soccer game." Lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo also expressed opposition, stating, "Changing the rules would rather exclude the support base."

On the morning of the 13th, Ahn said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Changing the party convention rules to 9 to 1 or 10 to 0 is not about preventing reverse voting; it excludes the People Power Party's support base."

Ahn emphasized, "Among the People Power Party supporters, there are both party members and non-members. That's why the two groups joined forces to elect President Yoon Seok-yeol. Thirty percent are not reverse votes but our supporters. So excluding non-member supporters means excluding the People Power Party's support base."

Regarding Chairman Jeong's 'Class 1 president' expression, Ahn also said it was "inappropriate," arguing, "In fact, it's a method that prevents half of the students in Class 1 from voting to elect the class president of Class 1."

This controversy reignited after Chairman Jeong officially announced his intention to revise the election rules. On the 12th, during a meeting with party members in Busan, he said, "When electing the class president of Class 1, can kids from Class 3 come and cause a fuss, interfere, distort, and contaminate the will of party members?" He hinted at changing the current party convention rules from 7 to 3 (70% party member votes and 30% general public opinion polls) to 8 to 2, 9 to 1, or even 10 to 0. This is a phrase commonly used to argue for 'preventing reverse voting,' as opposition-leaning supporters participating in opinion polls could distort the results.

Chairman Jeong cited the need to prevent reverse voting due to the increase in party members. He explained, "At the party convention that elected former leader Lee Jun-seok a year and a half ago, there were 280,000 responsible party members. Now, at this point, our party has one million responsible party members. This is different. We have become a people's party. We must implement party democracy suitable for the era of one million responsible party members."

Jin Jeong-seok, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

However, candidates classified as 'anti-Yoon' immediately opposed these remarks. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min appeared on KBS Radio on the 12th and criticized, "Just before the party convention, the 'Yoon Core Group' (key figures close to President Yoon Seok-yeol), who are abnormally controlling the party leadership, are changing the rules at will to eliminate me? Moving the goalposts in the middle of a soccer game?this is really not the law, principle, fairness, or common sense that the President talks about, is it?"

Although Yoo ranks high in various opinion polls as a leading candidate for the next party leader, there are claims within the party that this is 'reverse voting.' Yoo responded, "If Yoo Seung-min, who truly brings change and innovation to the People Power Party and gains support from the moderate faction, becomes the party leader, the Democratic Party hates it the most and faces the greatest difficulty. So calling the support for me 'reverse voting' is simply incorrect. Who in the Democratic Party would want to see as the leader of the People Power Party? Wouldn't they prefer the most extreme right-wing, so-called 'hardline conservative' leader?"

Ahn Cheol-soo, People Power Party member / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju, doso7@

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