People Power Party appoints Yoon Jaebok to Yongin Gap amid 'internal strife'; Yang: 'Fact-finding probe needed'

The People Power Party appointed Yoon Jaebok, former vice chairman of its Gyeonggi Provincial Party, as chair of the organizational committee for Yongin Gap in Gyeonggi Province on the 19th. Supreme Council member Yang Hyangja, who ran against Yoon in the primary, reiterated the need for a fact-finding investigation, saying, “The party must not dismiss the flawed primary by saying that all parties are equally culpable.”

People Power Party leader Jang Donghyeok and Supreme Council member Yang Hyangja attend a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Oct. 19. The two are at odds over allegations of errors in the ARS (automated response system) vote during the primary for chair of the party’s Yongin Gap district committee in Gyeonggi Province. Oct. 19, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju

Park Sunghoon, the party’s chief spokesperson, said that the People Power Party appointed Yoon as chair of the Yongin Gap organizational committee at a Supreme Council meeting held that morning. The move followed the party’s Special Committee on Organizational Strengthening selecting Yoon as its candidate for the post after Yang declined to participate in a revote in the runoff.

On the 8th, the People Power Party held the runoff for chair of the Yongin Gap organizational committee using an automated telephone response (ARS) system. The process drew criticism over irregularities, including 44 party members being unable to vote because of a telecommunications provider issue. Yang has repeatedly called for a fact-finding investigation.

Separately from the decision made that day, Yang said in her opening remarks, “We must not distort the essence of the issue. I have called for a thorough investigation and measures to prevent a recurrence. Why don’t we examine the issue seriously and conduct a scientific, objective and reasonable investigation to establish fairness and transparency in the primary?”

Yang did not attend the closed-door Supreme Council meeting that followed and left without making a separate statement. Park said, “There was no particular discussion of Yang’s position during the closed-door meeting. On the question of whether to hold a vote or submit the matter to K-voting, the two candidates were asked for their views. They agreed not to do either and instead to proceed with the vote count.”

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