On the 15th, 19 days before the early election on June 3, the People Power Party launched the emergency response committee led by Kim Yong-tae. This came five days after the resignation of former chairperson Kwon Young-se.
A priority issue facing the lawmaker is the organization of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's party affiliation.
The People Power Party held its 15th national committee meeting at 11 a.m. that day and presented a motion to appoint the lawmaker as the chairperson of the emergency response committee, which was voted on and approved.
In a non-face-to-face national committee meeting conducted via the party's YouTube channel, People Power Party TV, and ARS voting, results showed that out of 795 national committee members, 551 participated in the vote (voter turnout 69.3%), and the motion was approved with 491 votes in favor (approval rate 89.1%).
The new chairperson of the emergency response committee is scheduled to lead the party until the term ends on June 30 and is expected to collaborate with presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo to prioritize the People Power Party's victory in the presidential election.
Chairperson Kim, a freshman lawmaker born in 1990 (34 years old), is the youngest among the People Power Party members. He is also the youngest among those who have served as the chairperson of the emergency response committee, who hold the highest rank in the party.
Chairperson Kim's establishment of the emergency response committee is interpreted as a measure to offset perceptions of 'extremism' and 'age' that are considered his weaknesses, as well as to expand his support base.
The new chairperson of the emergency response committee has expressed his intention through media interviews to complete all processes to overcome the river of impeachment within this week.
In response, the office of former President Yoon noted, "We think it's best to leave everything, including his future, up to candidate Kim," effectively requesting a decision from candidate Kim.
During an emergency press conference that day, candidate Kim reiterated his position, saying, "It's a matter for the president to decide. I don't think it's appropriate for someone running as a presidential candidate to say whether he should or should not leave the party." Thus, it remains to be seen how chairperson Kim will resolve this issue.
Within political circles, there is a view that the People Power Party's strategy of starting with former President Yoon's voluntary resignation this week, ahead of the first TV debate (on the economy) for the presidential candidates on the 18th, will be crucial in narrowing the gap with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, who is leading with about 50% in approval ratings.
The expulsion of party members can be finalized after a vote conducted by the chairperson of the emergency response committee (party leader) or the chairperson of the ethics committee after convening the ethics committee. If the individual in question disagrees, they can request a review by the ethics committee within 10 days of receiving the notification of the disciplinary action (expulsion).
A source familiar with the party's circumstances said, "If it goes through expulsion, it will inevitably take more time than voluntary resignation due to the ethics committee procedures, and in order to explore options such as a big tent to narrow the approval rating gap, former President Yoon must first resign voluntarily."