Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, marked 100 days in office on the 21st. Inside the party, evaluations suggest that he has led the party stably, demonstrating strong fighting power without being swayed by the ruling party's provocative opposition. However, some voices indicate that he has been relatively negligent in expanding outreach in preparation for potential early elections. Following the decision on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-youl, his leadership is expected to face another test.
Kweon was elected on Dec. 12 last year, during a time when the impeachment situation of President Yoon Seok-youl was ongoing. At that time, there were significant concerns about a key figure from the pro-Yoon faction taking on the leadership position.
However, Kweon has been evaluated as having generally operated the party stably while coordinating the conflict between the pro-Yoon faction and the pro-Han Dong-hoon faction. There are also voices noting that he adequately responded to the massive opposition party's offensive, criticizing the ruling party's legislative dictatorship and parliamentary dictatorship.
In particular, just a fortnight after taking office, an acting system was established following the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Despite fierce opposition from the pro-Yoon faction, Kweon took a bold step by independently proposing the 'Martial Law Investigation Act' to curb the spread of negative public sentiment and consolidate support. In fact, about a month after the state of martial law, various opinion polls showed a reversal in support rates between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party.
An official affiliated with the National Assembly leadership commented, 'In the unpredictable circumstances following the impeachment, we communicated the issues of this representative and the Democratic Party that the party quickly needed to respond to after the election of the floor leader.'
Kweon himself pointed to 'party unity' as a result of his tenure. In a press conference that day, he reflected, 'I took office as floor leader on Dec. 3, following the declaration of martial law, and it was incredibly difficult to survive each day.' He added, 'I was more afraid of party division than the impeachment. There are some differences of opinion, but the party is not splitting apart or showing blatant signs of division,' and stated, 'Most members worked together to deal with major issues. I assess that I have played a certain role in that.'
It is also notable that he led an agreement on a reform plan for the national pension system, which had not been reached in 18 years, amid extreme confrontational politics. Although there was significant backlash within the ruling party, he facilitated the agreement by stating, 'We have no choice but to move forward little by little.' Whenever obstacles arose, such as whether to introduce an automatic adjustment mechanism or to include the phrase 'inter-party agreement processing' when forming the National Assembly's Special Committee on Pension Reform, he took a step back to steer negotiations.
Evaluations are mixed regarding the maintenance of a 'two-track' strategy in responding to the political situation. While Kweon distanced himself from the external protests against impeachment by a majority of party members, he has not sanctioned the extreme remarks of some lawmakers. This has been analyzed as a strategy aimed at both hardline supporters and moderates.
A People Power Party official stated, 'We have been making efforts to turn moderates into supporters of our party. As the ruling party, we have done well to take a leading role in the political landscape.' Another party official also noted, 'Leaders like Kweon are receiving criticism from both sides (moderates and supporters), but alternatively, they are opening space for supporters in preparation for potential early elections.'
Some point out that this strategy may have led to a loss of moderate support. It has been said that he failed to distance himself properly from President Yoon and appeared excessively close to hardline supporters. Kweon visited President Yoon in prison, stating it was in a 'personal capacity,' and even visited him immediately after his release from custody.
Another point of interest will be the leadership that Kweon exercises after the impeachment trial decision for President Yoon. If the impeachment is upheld, he is expected to minimize social unrest while gearing up for early elections by actively developing and promoting presidential policies within the National Assembly. Conversely, if the impeachment is dismissed, he will be faced with the challenges of addressing national turmoil and the Democratic Party's push for further impeachment.
An assembly official remarked, 'If the impeachment is dismissed or ruled out, the president will need to play a role in gathering public opinion regarding tasks such as constitutional amendments, as stated in the final argument, and work well with Yongsan to open a new political era.' He added, 'If upheld, I believe he will play a role in ensuring there are no gaps in policies regarding people's livelihoods or economic policies during the election period.'