Resignation of Emergency Committee Members Including Yeo Park Ji-hyun and Yoon Ho-jung... Park Hong-geun to Act as Party Leader (Summary)

Chairpersons Park Jihyun and Yoon Hojung Resign Together
Plan to Form New Leadership Team
After Party Assembly, Prepare for National Convention

Park Ji-hyun, Co-Chair of the Emergency Response Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is entering the party leader's office at the National Assembly on the 2nd to attend a closed emergency response committee meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Yoon Ho-jung, Co-Chair of the Emergency Response Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is entering the party leader's office at the National Assembly on the 2nd to attend a closed emergency response committee meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea resigned en masse, including co-chairpersons Park Ji-hyun and Yoon Ho-jung, taking responsibility for the crushing defeat in the June 1 local elections. They decided to step down after winning only 5 out of the 17 metropolitan mayoral seats nationwide, including Gyeonggi, Gwangju, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Jeju.

After transitioning to a system where Park Hong-geun, the floor leader, acts as the interim party leader, the Democratic Party plans to form a new leadership team through a parliamentary meeting and other processes to prepare for the party convention in August. The party leadership announced this after a closed-door meeting on the morning of the 2nd. Chairman Yoon expressed gratitude to the public for holding the party accountable with a "disciplinary stick" for greater reform and bold innovation, and apologized to the 2,974 candidates who gave their best until the end.

The Democratic Party's emergency committee members held a closed meeting from 10 a.m. for about 1 hour and 40 minutes before announcing this position. Before and after reading the statement, they all bowed at a 90-degree angle. According to Chief Spokesperson Ko Yong-jin’s briefing, during the closed meeting, the emergency committee members shared their reflections and exchanged opinions on future party recovery plans.

After announcing the leadership’s resignation, Chairpersons Yoon and Park left without making any further comments to the press.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Following the total resignation of the emergency committee, the party will evaluate the presidential and local elections and form a new leadership through a parliamentary meeting, party affairs committee, and central committee. After the last presidential election defeat, Yoon Ho-jung, then floor leader, was appointed as the emergency committee chair, but this time Park Hong-geun will serve only as acting leader until the next leadership is elected.

This decision is interpreted as taking into account the criticism within the party that "those responsible for the defeat were entrusted with important roles" and concerns about procedural legitimacy when Yoon was appointed. Although the plan is to establish a legitimate new leadership by gathering the consensus of lawmakers, intense debates over responsibility for the local election defeat are ongoing within the party, so considerable difficulties are expected during this process.

Chairman Yoon explained that the new leadership would lead the party until the regular party convention in August, but there are also calls within the party for an early convention.

Regarding this, Ko Yong-jin, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said, "If it is judged that an early party convention is physically possible, it is not impossible, but the current party officials have reviewed it and there was a practical opinion that there is not enough time." He added, "Floor leader Park will listen to the opinions of lawmakers and hold a parliamentary meeting as soon as possible. It is uncertain whether it can be held on Friday, the 3rd."

Regarding the formation of the new leadership, he explained, "Sometimes the emergency committee chair is a senior figure, and sometimes a new person from outside. We will form the committee centered on that person and decide on tasks and deadlines."

Lee Jae-myung, the General Election Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is talking with Park Hong-geun, the floor leader, at the comprehensive situation room set up in the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is adjusting his mask after finishing his speech at the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 12th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Senior spokesperson Ko said, "All emergency committee members shared the same view that although we came to analyze and evaluate the causes of the presidential election defeat and to innovate the party accordingly, we could not fully accomplish this as the local elections approached," adding, "There was a consensus that objective evaluation and preparation of innovation measures should continue without stopping."

When asked whether former Senior Advisor Lee Jae-myung’s candidacy in the Incheon Gyeyang-eul by-election, where he had no local ties, was the cause of defeat, he replied, "Some emergency committee members thought so," but added, "There were a few issues raised, including that, but it was not a major factor."

Regarding Chairperson Park Ji-hyun’s position, he said, "She resigned together with the emergency committee, and this was not a time to discuss what role she would play." On the comeback victory in the Gyeonggi Province governor election, he said, "There was a risk of losing all except for Honam region and Jeju, but winning Gyeonggi allowed us to secure a seat in the metropolitan area, which is somewhat fortunate."

Lee Jae-myung, the General Election Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with co-chairmen Yoon Ho-jung and Park Ji-hyun, are watching the exit poll results of the June 1 local elections at the comprehensive situation room set up in the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On the 1st, the comprehensive vote counting situation room of the Democratic Party of Korea, set up in the National Assembly Members' Office Building, appeared deserted as Lee Jae-myung, the overall election committee chairman, and others were absent.