Announcement of 'In Yohan Innovation Committee' Appointments Today... "Must Follow Hong Joon-pyo Innovation Committee"

Scheduled Supreme Council Decision on the 26th Afternoon
Need to Benchmark the Innovation Committee Fully Empowered to Hong Jun-pyo
Key Also to Drastically Accept Non-mainstream Opinions Within the Party

The People Power Party will hold an executive meeting at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 26th to approve the appointment plan for the Innovation Committee. Since the Innovation Committee was launched to reform the party following the defeat in the Seoul Gangseo District Mayor by-election, there is a strong expectation that it will seek ways to resolve the metropolitan area crisis theory and be composed of figures who can represent centrists and the youth. Within the party, there are concerns that if the Innovation Committee does not have clear full authority, it could become ineffective like other innovation committees.

The People Power Party plans to finalize the Innovation Committee appointments through the executive meeting in the afternoon. It will be three days since Innovation Committee Chairman In Yo-han was appointed. A party official said, "We expect to complete the appointments by the morning," adding, "It is certain that the appointments will be made in the afternoon." The ruling party leadership will also attend the 44th anniversary memorial service for former President Park Chung-hee held at the National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, along with Chairman In. At this event, they will also meet former President Park Geun-hye. Chairman In previously served as the vice chairman of the National Integration Committee during the transition team when Park Geun-hye was president-elect.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Within the party, voices advocating following the past 'Hong Jun-pyo Innovation Committee' model for the success of the 'In Yo-han Innovation Committee' are gaining strength. In 2005, then Grand National Party leader Park Geun-hye gave full authority over the Innovation Committee to Hong Jun-pyo, who was part of the party's non-mainstream faction. Chairman Hong announced an innovation plan 1 year and 6 months before the presidential election, which included separating party leadership and presidential candidacy, and reflecting 50% of the general public's opinion in the nomination of presidential and metropolitan government candidates. Despite the plan being disadvantageous to Park, who was considering running for president, she accepted it, and subsequently, the Grand National Party won the 2006 local elections and the 2007 presidential election. Although Park lost to Lee Myung-bak, who had higher public support during the 2007 presidential primary, she eventually won the 2012 presidential election.

Since Hong Jun-pyo was part of the party's non-mainstream faction at the time, there are also arguments that the voices of people inside and outside the party, rather than the mainstream from the Yeongnam region, should be listened to and actively reflected. People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said on SBS Radio, "The Innovation Committee should listen to those voices (from the Lee Jun-seok faction) and be able to integrate them. That is the real Innovation Committee," adding, "We need to create a ground where those people can come in and talk." People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung suggested on MBC Radio, "Even if the committee composition is not completed, I hope they first release a public apology," and added, "If they comprehensively announce what the specific meaning of integration is, what anti-integration mistakes or faults there were, then the formation of the Innovation Committee will proceed very smoothly thereafter."

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