Woo Jaejun Calls for "Resignation Before Fall"... Jang Donghyuk's Resignation Debate Rekindled at Supreme Council

"The Supreme Council is Not a General Assembly"
Jeong Jeomsik Publicly Intervenes
Party Conflict Over Jang's Leadership Continues

Within the People Power Party, a public clash continues over the future of party leader Jang Donghyuk. Following the previous day's general assembly, conditional calls for his resignation, such as "Step down before the fall," were raised again at the Supreme Council meeting on June 18. In response, Floor Leader Jeong Jeomsik urged restraint in public statements, attempting to de-escalate the situation.

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Woo Jaejun, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, said, "It would be best if the current party leadership ended its term when the National Election Commission incident is resolved, at least before the fall," and added, "That way, we can dispel suspicions that the Election Commission incident is being used for political purposes and focus the party's efforts."

Effectively, this was a proposal for the current leadership to handle only the ballot paper shortage crisis, with preparations for the general election to be managed by the next leadership—a so-called "conditional resignation" argument.

In response, Floor Leader Jeong said, "The Supreme Council is not a general assembly," and continued, "There are pre-meetings and closed-door sessions, and bringing up these matters in public remarks only exposes the party's disorder to the outside."

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the highest-level meeting held at the National Assembly on June 18, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

At the previous day's general assembly, a direct confrontation also erupted between the mainstream faction and the reformist faction over Jang's future. Not only did members of the reformist group "Alternative and Future"—including Song Seokjun, Kwon Youngjin, and Cho Eunhee—join the calls for resignation, but so did Lee Jongbae, a four-term veteran, and Yeongnam region figures such as Park Hyungsoo and Yoon Hanhong, intensifying the pressure on Jang. Conversely, Jang's allies even argued that "Alternative and Future" should be dissolved, escalating the confrontation.

A difference of opinion also emerged between Jang and the party's floor leadership over the election petition issue. Jang argued that all 16 city and provincial areas nationwide should be included as petition targets, while Floor Leader Jeong insisted efforts should focus only on areas where the ballot paper shortage actually occurred. Ultimately, the party decided to file petitions in just the seven regions where the ballot paper shortage was confirmed.

In effect, Jang's calls for nationwide petitions and a full re-election have been checked. Immediately after the general assembly, Jang expressed his discomfort to reporters about the narrowing scope of the petitions, saying, "What power do I have?"

The People Power Party is also scheduled to hold another general assembly ahead of the plenary session in the afternoon to discuss strategies for opposing the ruling party. During the plenary session, it is expected that the party will adopt a plan for a parliamentary investigation into the ballot paper shortage incident and other related measures.

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