Jang Donghyuk Unveils Reform Plan and Organizational Committee in Bid to Strengthen Party Leadership

Jang to Announce Plans for Latter Half of Term on First Anniversary
Simultaneous Push for Evaluation of Elected Officials and Restructuring of Regional Organizations

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is set to introduce a reform proposal centered on a "party member-oriented party" as the first anniversary of his inauguration approaches. This move appears to be a high-stakes strategy to directly address the calls for his resignation that have continued since the party's defeat in the local elections and to secure leadership and control over party management in the latter half of his term.

According to political sources on August 10, Jang plans to hold a press conference around the anniversary of his inauguration on the 26th to unveil his reform agenda. He is currently refining his ideas by gathering a wide range of opinions from party lawmakers and administrative staff.

Dang Donghyeok, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at a press conference on current issues held at the National Assembly on August 5, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Prior to this, Jang activated several bodies to oversee candidate nominations and reorganize regional party organizations. At a Supreme Council meeting on this day, the People Power Party finalized the establishment plan for the Special Committee on Organizational Strengthening (Jogangteukwi). This committee is tasked with reviewing and recommending candidates for regional chapter heads in areas with vacancies and inspecting the operational status of existing local branches, thereby restructuring the party's regional organizations.

On July 28, the party launched the Task Force for Innovation in the Evaluation of Elected Officials. The task force is responsible for designing evaluation criteria and procedures to be applied to all elected officials, including current members of the National Assembly. At the meeting, Jang emphasized the importance of reflecting party members' opinions in the process and insisted on creating a system in which those who "effectively confront" the government and ruling party will be able to secure party nominations. The task force will hold its second meeting on August 11 to begin full-scale discussions.

Both the Special Committee on Organizational Strengthening and the Task Force for Evaluation of Elected Officials are chaired by Party Secretary-General Chung Heeyong. Since these two bodies are respectively focused on outside regional party organizations and the current lawmakers, observers interpret them as the twin pillars that will embody Jang's vision of a "party member-oriented party" and support his ability to assert control over the party.

However, as opinions within the party diverge over the degree of party member involvement and the criteria for candidate evaluations in the concrete institutionalization of the reform agenda, attention is focused on the content of the final proposal. Park Chungkwon, chief spokesperson, said, "Although Jang already has a plan in mind for managing the party during the later half of his term, he will carefully consider the opinions of party lawmakers on several options and reflect them in the final version."

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