Kim Ki-hyun and In Yo-han, Conflict 'Temporarily Resolved'... Innovation Committee Offers "Candid Criticism"

Kim Ki-hyun, "Trust Confirmed" at Meeting with In Yo-han
"Innovation Plan Must Be Quickly Accepted by the Party"

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, and In Yo-han, chairman of the Innovation Committee, held a sudden meeting on the 17th. The two sides, which had clashed over the ‘running in difficult constituencies’ theory for next year’s general election by key pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) lawmakers within the party, sought to reconcile their conflicts through this meeting.

Park Jeong-ha, spokesperson for the People Power Party, explained in a briefing immediately after the meeting between Kim and In, "Today’s meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm trust in the launch, activities, and progress of the Innovation Committee."

On this day, Kim reportedly said, "I appreciate Chairman In Yo-han for creating a successful innovation model, unlike in the past," and "I hope the Innovation Committee continues to provide candid opinions and ideas without reservation," according to spokesperson Park. In responded, "For the advancement of the party and our politics, we will continue to deliver painful but innovative criticism to the party."

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party (left), and In Yo-han, chairman of the Innovation Committee, are shaking hands on the 17th at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Previously, the two sides sharply confronted each other as the Innovation Committee, led by In Yo-han, demanded that the party leadership and senior pro-Yoon lawmakers declare candidacy in difficult constituencies or announce non-candidacy for next year’s general election. Inside and outside the party, the candidates for difficult constituencies included Kim Ki-hyun, key pro-Yoon lawmakers Jang Je-won and Kwon Seon-dong, and senior lawmakers from the Yeongnam region.

However, these lawmakers consistently remained unresponsive or expressed refusal, prompting Chairman In to raise the pressure level by even mentioning ‘signals from President Yoon Seok-yeol.’ Kim strongly criticized this, saying, "I think it is inappropriate to mention the president, who is not intervening in party affairs, in relation to internal party issues." Furthermore, Kim countered the Innovation Committee’s demand for running in difficult constituencies by taking a bold step to launch the nomination management committee early, which oversees next year’s general election nominations, thereby establishing a full-fledged election system.

However, some speculate that Kim is rushing the early election system to soon decide his own position. A party leadership official said, "I think the nomination management committee was formed so that the matters raised by the Innovation Committee can be quickly handled through the committee, and so that Kim himself can get out of the (position issue)," adding, "He probably wants to quickly escape the ongoing pressure from the Innovation Committee regarding his position."

In fact, the meeting was reportedly proposed by Kim, as the two sides appeared to confront each other head-on over the innovation plan. Chairman In conveyed some dissatisfaction from Innovation Committee members about the party leadership’s refusal to accept the innovation plan. Previously, the People Power Party received the third innovation plan, including ‘50% youth allocation for proportional representation’ and ‘selection of youth strategic constituencies,’ at the Supreme Council meeting the day before, but did not approve it and referred it to the nomination management committee.

Innovation Committee member Kim Kyung-jin said, "Chairman In expressed a wish that the party would accept the Innovation Committee’s resolutions more actively and promptly."

Although Kim and In showed signs of reconciliation through the meeting, the tension between the two sides is likely to resurface. Kim’s side plans to form the nomination management committee as early as next month. Normally, the nomination management committee is formed at the beginning of the year (January), about four months before the election, so the early formation is interpreted as Kim’s attempt to take the lead in next year’s nominations. The party leader’s office is also considering imposing strong penalties on the bottom 20% of party branches based on the party affairs audit results.

The nomination management committee is the body that screens and recommends candidates for the general election, effectively holding the highest power during the election period. The committee chairperson is appointed by the party leader, and the candidates nominated by the committee proceed after approval by the Supreme Council, so the party leader’s influence is usually strong. A People Power Party official said, "If the leadership appears to be putting the brakes on the Innovation Committee, wouldn’t that diminish its momentum?" and added, "It is questionable whether the next innovation plan will be more impactful than the second one."

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