Jang Donghyuk: "Party Leader Resignation to Be Decided by Vote of All Members... Anyone Should Stake Their Political Life to Demand It"

Jang Donghyuk Holds Press Conference on His Political Future

On the 3rd, Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, responded to calls from some members of the pro-Han Donghoon faction and the junior lawmakers' group for his resignation or a confidence vote over the expulsion of former leader Han Donghoon, saying, "If anyone, by tomorrow, stakes their political life and demands that I resign or seek a vote of confidence, I will immediately hold a vote by all party members," adding, "If, in that vote by all party members, the members tell me to step down or I fail to win a renewed mandate, I will relinquish the party leadership and also resign from my seat in the National Assembly."

At a press conference held at the National Assembly that afternoon, Jang said, "Politics is not a place for making excuses or pointing fingers; it is a place where you take responsibility for what you say. Lawmakers or heads of local governments who demand my resignation or a confidence vote must also bear corresponding political responsibility," reiterating his position.

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is attending a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 5th. 2026.2.5 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Regarding the expulsion of the former leader Han, Jang first explained, "The party members' message board issue is something we promised party members since the party convention," and continued, "If there had been any misjudgment by the Party Affairs Audit Committee or the Ethics Committee, we put in place a mechanism to correct it through the Review Committee. But former leader Han went through no explanation or appeal process whatsoever, and in the end, under the party constitution and party regulations, the Supreme Council gave its final approval to the expulsion motion."

He went on, "The party members' message board issue was decided by the Party Affairs Audit Committee and the Ethics Committee in accordance with the procedures set out in the party constitution and party regulations, and it was also deliberated and approved by the Supreme Council," adding, "Since we followed the procedures laid down in the party constitution and regulations, I believe it is difficult to find any defect in the expulsion process."

Jang also said, "This is not about belatedly taking issue with the content of a post anonymously uploaded by someone on an anonymous board," and added, "At the time, the People Power Party was the ruling party, and the essence of this case is that it was effectively a manipulation of public opinion involving an issue related to the ruling party leader or his family. Another essential point of this case is that, because this issue remained unresolved within the party for a long time, it continually deepened internal conflict."

Jang stated, "Based on the decisions of the Party Affairs Audit Committee and the Ethics Committee, the Supreme Council, which is the party's highest decision-making body, made its decision in line with the free will of its members. To hold the party leader solely responsible for this and demand my resignation or a confidence vote, I believe, is not reasonable," and added, "Nevertheless, if there are still calls for my resignation or a confidence vote on my leadership by tomorrow, I will accept them."

Jang further said, "However, the party leader is elected by the party members, and only the party members can decide whether I stay or go. Demands for my resignation or a confidence vote are not a challenge to the party leader's leadership, but a challenge to the party members," adding, "If they are truly junior lawmakers, reformists, or innovators, they should not do politics with words alone, but take responsibility for what they say. That is what would be fitting for junior lawmakers, for innovators, and for reformists."

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