Jang Donghyuk Reaffirms "Member Opinions Must Be Reflected in Nominations" ... Reiterates 'Member-Centered Party' Principle

Opposes 100% Open Primary and Lawmaker-Centered Party Model

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, reaffirmed the party’s commitment to a "party member-centered party" amid internal debates regarding the direction for party reform. He made it clear that the opinions of party members must be heavily reflected in the nomination process and clearly expressed his opposition to both a 100 percent open primary and the idea of shifting the party’s focus toward parliamentary members.

At the first meeting of the Elected Officials Evaluation Innovation Task Force (TF) held at the National Assembly on the 28th, Jang stressed, "On internal party matters, the party should respect the will of its members and become a party member-centered organization. The direction the party should pursue is to capably address the lives of the people as a national party."

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party (center in the photo), is speaking at the "Appointed Officials Evaluation Innovation Task Force Appointment Ceremony and 1st Meeting" held at the National Assembly on the 28th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He stated, "Nomination is the most important decision-making process within the party," emphasizing, "The notion of ignoring party members’ opinions or having nominations decided by individuals not elected by party members completely contradicts the basic principles of party politics."

Jang also criticized the argument—raised within some corners of the party—for shifting to a parliamentary-centered party. He pointed out, "In a party where the members are the true owners, the idea that only parliamentary members should monopolize decision-making runs counter to the fundamental direction of party politics," and added, "If the party intends to abolish the party leader position and move towards being parliamentary-centered, then at minimum, the selection of the floor leader must reflect party members' opinions by more than 50 percent."

He continued, "If calls to exclude the party leader from the nomination process stem merely from shallow calculations of personal gain, it is a misguided idea that completely disregards the party members." This was interpreted as a pointed remark regarding recent discussions about reorganizing the party leadership and speculation surrounding Jang's own position.

Jang also expressed a negative stance on the idea of selecting candidates through a 100 percent open primary system. He argued, "It is unacceptable for party members’ opinions to be entirely ignored in the process of recommending candidates for public office. Without member input, it is impossible to filter out those who do not engage in parliamentary work, who merely focus on the media, or who are engaged in self-serving politics. Candidate selection risks becoming a popularity contest that blocks the entry of competent new political figures."

Jang argued that the concept of expanding to the political center does not contradict a party member-centered line. He explained, "Expansion to the center means gaining the support of more people through assertive engagement. This involves listening to people's livelihood issues, reaching out proactively, critiquing misguided government or ruling party policies, and proposing alternatives—that is what true centrist expansion means."

He added, "A national party does not emerge from changing the leadership structure, but from focusing the party's capabilities where they are most needed. Once the goal is set, both party members and parliamentary members must unite and fight effectively as one."

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