The People Power Party, which has elected a new party leader, is still mired in internal conflicts. In fact, the internal strife intensified from the first day. There are concerns that if Representative Jang Dong-hyuk continues his emphasis on 'anti-impeachment clarity' during the party convention, the division with pro-impeachment figures will accelerate.
The People Power Party held its first Supreme Council meeting of the new leadership on the morning of the 27th at the National Assembly. This is the first Supreme Council meeting held eight months after the collapse of the Han Dong-hoon leadership due to the emergency martial law on December 3 last year. All leadership members, except for Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja, who was absent due to personal commitments, attended the meeting.
In his opening remarks, Representative Jang emphasized 'change for the future.' The backdrop in the People Power Party meeting room where the Supreme Council was held has also changed to 'We are jumping again toward a new future.' Representative Jang said, 'I will show the people a changed, unified People Power Party. I will show a new side of the People Power Party that we have not been able to show until now.'
When it came time for Supreme Council members to speak, comments hinting at internal conflict emerged. Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo stated, 'The investigation of the party members' bulletin board must be conducted along with the party audit,' adding, 'What's urgent is to eradicate internal gunfire and harmful acts.' This targeted suspicions about the involvement of Han Dong-hoon's former representative family in derogatory posts about former President Yoon Suk-yeol that were posted on the party's bulletin board last November. This comment also seems to be aimed at pro-Han Dong-hoon lawmakers.
The conflict between Cho Kyung-tae, a People Power Party lawmaker and a contender for the party leadership, and Representative Jang is also ongoing. Representative Jang demanded an apology from Cho regarding the party members, stating, 'Make a decision first.' There has been interpretation that this implies a demand for resignation. In response to Representative Jang's remarks, Cho stated, 'What am I supposed to apologize for?' He further added, 'It is historically a very tragic and unfortunate case to unconditionally follow the majority opinion. Hitler is a representative case,' delivering sharp criticism.
In Yeouido, the strong anti-impeachment sentiment of Representative Jang's election has raised speculation about a 'Han Dong-hoon founding rumor.' As the party convention swayed toward anti-impeachment candidates, it is a continuation of the rumors surrounding the possible split of the pro-impeachment faction, which had been frequently mentioned in political circles. However, considering that most pro-Han representatives are proportional representatives and have weak regional bases, the possibility of Han establishing a new party in the immediate future seems low.
A member of the pro-Han faction stated, 'It is expected that Representative Jang will choose a more hardline mode, but discussions about splitting or resigning are not being made at all (within the faction). If pro-impeachment and reformist factions disappear from the People Power Party and move toward more extremes, public perception of the People Power Party will become even harsher.'
Some suggest that although Representative Jang has been elected by a narrow margin bolstered by party sentiment and is unlikely to easily abandon the 'anti-impeachment identity,' he must gain the support of pro-impeachment members and senior politicians to secure leadership.
A source from the National Assembly stated, 'It is true that the new representative has moved significantly to the right during the election process, and it is also true that there are lawmakers who do not view that positively.' They added, 'In order to overcome the structural vulnerabilities of leading the party based on clarity, Representative Jang must gain recognition from senior, seasoned members to some extent.'