Intractable Reform Party Conflict... What Happened at the 'December 19 Supreme Council'?

Heo Eun-ah: "Supreme Council Amendment to Party Constitution Violated Legality"
Lee Jun-seok Faction: "No Procedural Issues, Heo Eun-ah Must Resign"

The internal conflict within the Reform New Party over the party leader's authority is escalating into issues concerning the interpretation of the party constitution and regulations, as well as procedural legality. The faction supporting Representative Heo Eun-ah claims that the series of procedures, including last year's amendments to the party constitution and regulations aimed at ousting her, were all illegal and unjust, asserting that her leadership authority remains valid. On the other hand, the faction aligned with Representative Lee Jun-seok emphasizes that the amendment of the party constitution through the Supreme Council was lawful and calls for the entire Heo leadership to resign.

At the Reform New Party Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th, Representative Heo stated, "I clearly declare that the amendment to the party constitution and regulations discussed at the Supreme Council on December 19 last year was invalid from the start," adding, "The meeting, which was conducted orally without documentation while the party leader's right to speak was unjustly stripped, is null and void."

Heo Eun-ah: "December 19 Supreme Council Amendment to Party Constitution Violated Legality"

The core of the internal conflict within the Reform New Party revolves around whether Representative Heo overstepped her authority. The conflict surfaced on December 17 last year when Heo dismissed Kim Cheol-geun, the Secretary-General, and other Lee Jun-seok faction members. Initially, Heo's side claimed it was a planned personnel change, but party officials judged that a long-standing 'discord' between Representative Heo and former Secretary-General Kim Cheol-geun influenced the situation. The root cause of the discord was that Heo opposed Kim's efforts to expand the Secretary-General's authority through amendments to the party constitution and regulations.

The dispute over the party leader's authority escalated into a legality issue regarding the party constitution and regulations during a closed Supreme Council meeting on December 19, two days after Kim's dismissal. The Lee Jun-seok faction leadership, including floor leader Chun Ha-ram, amended key procedures for appointing and dismissing party officials in Articles 23 and 36 of the Reform New Party constitution. The original constitution stated that the party leader appoints and dismisses officials after 'consultation' with the Supreme Council, but it was revised to allow appointments and dismissals through the Supreme Council's 'resolution' based on the party leader's recommendation. This effectively limited Heo's ability to exercise personnel authority without the Supreme Council's approval.

The basis for Heo's faction's claim of unfairness is that although Heo herself attended the Supreme Council meeting, floor leader Chun led and conducted the meeting. Cho Dae-won, a Supreme Council member aligned with Heo, said in a phone interview, "The meeting on December 19 last year was the 60th closed Supreme Council meeting. As soon as Representative Chun arrived, he ignored all the leader's authority, held the meeting himself, presided over it, discussed the amendment bill to the party constitution, and put it to a vote," adding, "Representative Heo shouted that she did not relinquish her right to preside, but it was not accepted." This indicates that the Supreme Council meeting itself violated procedural legality.

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Lee Jun-seok Faction: "No Procedural Issues with Party Constitution Amendment... Heo Eun-ah Leadership Must Resign"

Conversely, the Lee Jun-seok faction insists that the Supreme Council meeting on December 19 was conducted lawfully. Floor leader Chun emphasized that Heo legitimately cast a dissenting vote at the meeting, and the amendment was made according to the majority rule. Chun stated, "According to the current party constitution, the appointment and dismissal of the Policy Committee Chairperson are all matters decided by the Supreme Council," adding, "Since the person who participated in the amendment procedure and voted personally knows this, I don't understand why this is being contested so much."

The party's Planning and Coordination Bureau also interpreted that Heo's personnel decisions were improper. The Reform New Party Central Party Planning Bureau announced the previous day, "According to the interpretation of the party constitution and regulations, the party leader's unilateral dismissal of the Secretary-General is invalid." The bureau cited legal advice from the law firm KCL, stating that the dismissal of the Secretary-General and the Policy Committee Chairperson requires a resolution by the Supreme Council. They concluded that last year's amendment to the party constitution was lawfully conducted according to procedure, and under the current constitution, the appointment and dismissal of party officials must go through the Supreme Council.

Based on this, the Lee Jun-seok faction stresses that Heo should take responsibility for the improper personnel decisions and resign. Supreme Council member Lee Ki-in said, "The suffering of party officials is real, and the abuse of party authority by Representative Heo is the problem in this situation," adding, "We can no longer tolerate damage to the party's great asset, Lee Jun-seok. I formally propose the entire leadership's resignation."

As the internal conflict prolongs, Heo's faction is also considering warnings and possible legal actions against party officials who have not returned to work. A representative from Heo's side said, "We are reviewing measures to file complaints against some party officials for illegal activities such as comment manipulation beyond mere work stoppage through a labor law firm." A Lee Jun-seok faction representative raised their voice, saying, "Even though some party officials involved in abuse controversies have resigned, Heo still claims this is slander and a conspiracy to oust her."

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