On Jang's First Anniversary as Leader, Non-Mainstream Faction Says "Is He Imitating Jeong Cheongrae with Member-Centered Party?"

On August 26, in commemoration of his first anniversary as leader, Jang Donghyuk, head of the People Power Party, reiterated his intention to have the chiefs of city and provincial party committees and the executive committee chairpersons of the party members’ associations (party association chairpersons) elected directly by voting among party members. In response, members of the non-mainstream faction criticized his remarks as “an underwhelming slogan mimicking the so-called ‘omnipotence of party members’ approach’ once espoused by Chung Cheongrae (former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea).”

At the press conference held that morning at the party headquarters in Seoul, Jang stated, “I will fill the party with talented people who can fight properly,” adding, “We will enhance the sovereignty of our party members by allowing them to participate directly in choosing party association chairpersons and other key posts.” He thus expressed a renewed determination to push ahead with the introduction of direct elections for party association chairpersons by party members, a move that had previously been put on hold due to opposition within the parliamentary group.

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is holding a press conference marking his first anniversary as party leader at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on August 26, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Criticism of Jang’s press conference continued to pour in from the non-mainstream faction. Assemblywoman Cho Eunhee remarked, “During the 9th nationwide local elections, Lee Junseok, head of the Reform New Party, took responsibility for his party’s crushing defeat by stepping down, while Jang, who suffered a devastating loss, instead produced a so-called ‘reform plan.’ Who, then, will bear the blame for this defeat?” She added, “Grandiose slogans like ‘Party Members’ Sovereignty 2.0,’ which merely imitate former leader Chung’s ideas, are insufficient to cover up the collapse of party leadership.”

Assemblyman Lee Sungkwon, secretary of the party’s group “Alternative and Future,” commented on social media that while he supports a strong party, he “cannot at all understand how Jang, who relies on an excessively fervent group of supporters out of step with common sense, intends to build a ‘strong party alone’ in the face of a public sentiment turning away from him.” He further stated, “You have emphasized responsibility over authority, and as you said, stepping down should be the starting point for party innovation.”

Former leader Kim Kimoon also wrote on Facebook, “Those who pave the path prosper, while those who build walls perish,” arguing, “In order to achieve the party members’ supreme order—a majority victory in the general election—our party must open the way as a model of grand integration based on diversity and inclusivity, rather than retreating into contraction and isolation.”

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