People Power Party Opposes 'Mass Resignation and Reelection of All District Council Heads' at General Assembly, Will Convey to Supreme Council

As Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, moves forward with a plan to require all regional party committee heads (including incumbent lawmakers serving as committee heads) to resign and be re-elected, lawmakers from the party effectively expressed their opposition during a general assembly on the 21st. Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik plans to deliver this position to the next Supreme Council meeting.

Choi Su-jin, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party's parliamentary group, stated in a briefing immediately after the assembly, "The conclusion is that it would be best to stick to the existing method—in other words, that committee heads should be re-elected through the operations committee." She added, "Floor leader Jeong will relay this to the Supreme Council."

Yonhap News

Previously, Jang and other party leadership figures, known as the pro-leadership faction, had pushed for the re-election of all regional party committee heads—including incumbent lawmakers—citing Article 26 of the Party's Local Organization Operations Rules, which states, "Regional committee heads are to be elected by the end of August in even-numbered years." Jang in particular warned of a major reshuffle, stating, "Committee heads who do not stand up and fight will be replaced."

The previous day, a one-hour heated debate over this issue took place at the Supreme Council meeting, and strong opposition was also voiced at the general assembly. As a result, the party leadership chose to postpone a vote at the Supreme Council and reconvened the general assembly on the morning of the 21st to collect further opinions from party members in parliament.

Regarding the reasoning behind the outcome of the assembly, senior spokesperson Choi said, "While the intent is good, the party is already in too much turmoil right now. If we conduct the voting in this manner, it could divide party members." She further emphasized, "Re-electing through the operations committee is also a provision stipulated in the party’s charter and regulations, so it would be best to proceed according to established practice."

Meanwhile, 60 People Power Party lawmakers attended the general assembly on the 21st. Leader Jang did not attend, citing a health check-up as the reason.

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