People Power Party "Agree to Merger with 국민의당"… Joo Ho-young Decides Early Resignation

Party Leader and Policy Committee Chair to Be Elected Separately

Joo Ho-young, Acting Leader of the People Power Party, is attending a party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 16th, the People Power Party reached a consensus in the party members' meeting to support the merger with the People’s Party. Joo Ho-young, the acting party leader, announced his intention to step down early in order to run for party leader.

After the meeting, Acting Leader Joo told reporters, "We agreed to support the integration of the People Power Party and the People’s Party, and there was no opposition," adding, "I have tendered my resignation as of today."

He also stated that there was no opposition to the merger discussions with the People’s Party during the meeting. He explained, "If the integration schedule proceeds quickly, the party convention will be held after the merger; if it is delayed, we cannot wait indefinitely, so the convention will be held first. The decision on whether to hold the convention before or after the merger has not been made yet, but since we agreed to the merger, the procedures will proceed naturally."

He added, "The People’s Party will confirm the will of all party members by Friday," and "I expect the matter to be settled by next weekend." He further noted, "There are various variables in the merger and integration, but I believe issues such as shares, property relations, and the succession of employment for Secretariat staff will proceed smoothly."

Acting Leader Joo will step down early to run in the next party leader election. He said, "It is not appropriate for the interim system to last long, so we decided to quickly elect a floor leader and have the new floor leader hold the party convention to prepare for the presidential election, thereby securing time," adding, "I decided to resign early to shorten the schedule for selecting my successor as much as possible starting today."

Meanwhile, the current system of electing the floor leader and the chairperson of the Policy Committee as running mates will be changed to a separate election system. Spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said, "Among the 77 members who participated in the meeting, 59 supported separate elections," and added, "We agreed that it would be better for the floor leader and party leader to consult and then have the party members approve the chairperson of the Policy Committee at the meeting." Spokesperson Bae also stated, "Since there will be a gap until the new floor leader and party leader are elected, all members agreed to extend the term of the current Policy Committee Chairperson, Lee Jong-bae."