People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok has begun to dig in. At the lawmakers' meeting on the 17th, a majority of members urged him to step down, and at the supreme council meeting on the 18th, Youth Supreme Council member Woo Jae-joon also mentioned the leadership's resignation, but Jang has not backed down.
Inside the People Power Party, there is virtually no faction aligned with Jang. It is reported that at the lawmakers' meeting, only a few, including Chief of Staff Park Jun-tae and lawmaker Lee Jin-sook, defended Jang. Within the leadership, only Supreme Council members Kim Min-su and Cho Kwang-han are classified as party-power figures supporting Jang.
Why is Jang refusing to resign and hunkering down when his faction has effectively collapsed? Political circles say Jang is weighing the timing and manner of his resignation at the risk of his political life.
◇ Term ends in August next year, so why are there rumors of resignation after February?
Jang Dong-hyeok's term runs until August next year. If Jang resigns before his term ends, the length of the next party leader's term could vary depending on the timing.
According to the People Power Party charter, if the leader's post becomes vacant with six months or more left in the term, an extraordinary party convention must be held to elect a new leader. The new leader elected at that time serves only the remainder of the predecessor's term. If Jang resigns before February next year, even if he runs for the next party leadership and wins renewed confidence, his term would still end in August next year.
In political circles, there is speculation that Jang will seek another bid for a two-year party leadership term that would allow him to exercise nomination power in the next general election. In that case, Jang would have no choice but to resign after February next year. The party charter stipulates that if the predecessor's remaining term is within six months, the floor leader serves as acting leader without an extraordinary convention, and a formal party convention must be held after the remaining term ends.
There is also speculation that even if Jang resigns after February next year, he would prefer to be ousted rather than voluntarily step down. A People Power Party official said, "From Jang's position, having already lost the support of lawmakers, winning the backing of hard-line party members would be the only way," adding, "Being pushed out rather than resigning voluntarily would help rally the base, so it seems unlikely he will step down on his own."
◇ Low odds for leadership dissolution through collective resignation of all supreme council members
If Jang Dong-hyeok continues to hold out, the in-house battle between the pro-leadership camp and the anti-leadership camp—"two families under one roof"—is likely to intensify.
There is another possibility. The leadership could be dissolved if the supreme council members resign. Under the People Power Party charter and regulations, if four of the five elected supreme council members resign, the leadership is dissolved. All four, except for Kim Min-su, a political partner of Jang, would have to step down, and Supreme Council members Yang Hyang-ja and Woo Jae-joon have already expressed their intention to resign.
That leaves Supreme Council members Kim Jae-won and Shin Dong-wook. If both also resign voluntarily, the leadership would be dissolved regardless of Jang's wishes, and Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik could appoint an emergency committee chair.
However, party insiders judge that it is unlikely Kim Jae-won and Shin Dong-wook will voluntarily resign. Shin has lent support to Jang's call for a rerun and has been cautious about his own position. Kim Jae-won is also reportedly weighing his options with an eye on the next general election.
It is also possible that Jang serves out his term through August next year. If President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party of Korea see their approval ratings decline while the People Power Party maintains an upward trend, internal discontent over Jang's status may subside.
A political source said, "To compete for the next party leadership against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, Jang would also need to present a clear profile to the base, so simply finishing the term without incident seems more like something he would not want."