After losing the presidential election on June 3, the People Power Party elected new floor leader Song Eon-seok, a three-term lawmaker from Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, to manage internal party conflicts and respond to the massive opposition party.
The People Power Party announced that during an assembly meeting that afternoon, lawmaker Song received 60 votes out of a total of 106 in the floor leader election, defeating Lee Heon-seung (16 votes) and Kim Seong-won (30 votes). There was no runoff as he received more than half the votes.
Immediately after being elected, Floor Leader Song said, "We have already become an opposition party that has lost power and is a minority party in the National Assembly, which is at an absolute disadvantage," adding, "As the floor leader of a minority party, there are limits to our roles and functions, which I am well aware of more than anyone else."
He continued, "I experienced firsthand how difficult negotiations could be even when I was the floor leader in the ruling party as a minority party, and even with the president's background, it was incredibly challenging," projecting, "It will be even harder now that we are in the opposition."
He emphasized, "Change and renewal are necessary, and regressing to past actions is a very misguided thought," adding, "We must look only to the future and constantly think about what path the country should take while focusing on the people."