As Jang Dong-hyeok hinted at disciplining the act in question, the People Power Party is once again suffering from severe internal strife.
On the morning of the 29th, People Power Party Supreme Council member Woo Jae-jun directly took aim at Jang at the Supreme Council meeting, saying it was "time to stop being the leader." Woo said, "Our leadership talks about being a 'one team,' but the only thing I remember is discipline," adding, "If all the members of the party look like enemies, it is time to stop being the leader. Step down (from the post) for the sake of becoming a one team."
Earlier, on the 26th, Jang mentioned by name Supreme Council member Woo and lawmakers Kim Yong-tae and Kim Jae-seop, saying, "It is time to respond to the many requests for discipline." Political circles took it as effectively hinting at disciplining the three.
In response, Woo said that day, "Lawyer Kim Jae-seop is the person who made the greatest contribution in this Seoul mayoral election, and lawmaker Kim Yong-tae is a young politician who led our party well in the last presidential election," adding, "If such contributions are not seen and these people are simply labeled as engaging in acts against the party just because they criticize the leadership, that is no longer a balanced view."
When Woo again urged Jang to step down, the pro-leadership faction led by Jang hit back. Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo shot back at Woo, saying, "Resign," and Supreme Council member Cho Gwang-han also criticized, "Self-serving thoughts and expressions lower a politician's dignity." Supreme Council member Shin Dong-wook also told reporters, "The Supreme Council meeting should not become a standing venue for demanding the leader's resignation."
Inside and outside the People Power Party, there is talk that the party's Ethics Committee will resume in early July. It halted activities ahead of the local elections, but given Jang's hint at discipline, it is highly likely to resume. Lawmakers who supported Han Dong-hoon's election in Busan Buk-gu-gap and those who made derogatory, slanderous remarks about Jang Dong-hyeok or candidate Park Min-sik are expected to be the first targets.
If that happens, the People Power Party appears likely to fall once again into a vicious cycle of discipline through the Ethics Committee and nullification through court injunctions. A two-term People Power Party lawmaker said, "Jang's leadership has already hit rock bottom, and even lawmakers from the mainstream Yeongnam region and senior members acknowledge the need for resignation," adding, "If discipline through the Ethics Committee takes concrete shape, voices calling for the party leader's resignation could grow louder."
Meanwhile, Jang has kept silent on his own future while throwing his weight behind a call for a rerun. In the morning at the National Assembly, Jang met with young people in their 20s and 30s who attended a rally at Jamsil Olympic Park and said, "We will make sure to push through a special counsel probe into the National Election Commission, and prepare to hold a rerun depending on the results."
He reiterated a "full rerun," saying, "If you get caught cheating, the entire test gets a zero; there is no case where only the cheated questions are treated as wrong answers."