Pro-Chin Yoon Faction's 'Lee Jun-seok Encirclement Operation'? ... Party Leader's Secretary-General Resigns

Analysis Emerges That Full-Scale Isolation Has Begun Ahead of Next Month's Ethics Committee Meeting

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, attends the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th, closing his eyes and deep in thought during the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] On the 30th, Park Seong-min, a member of the National Assembly and chief secretary to Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, abruptly resigned from his position as chief secretary. Park, considered a prominent pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction member, signals intensifying all-out pressure from the pro-Yoon camp against Leader Lee.

In a notice released that morning, Park stated, "Today, I resigned from the position of chief secretary to the party leader due to personal reasons," adding, "I thank everyone who has supported me." Having established ties with President Yoon since his days as a prosecutor, Park is known to have acted as a de facto 'bridge' between President Yoon and Leader Lee. This is why interpretations suggest that 'Yoon's will' (the president's intentions) was reflected in his role.

With Park's resignation, the conflict between Leader Lee and the pro-Yoon faction is expected to intensify further. Especially since Leader Lee is scheduled for a disciplinary review by the party's Ethics Committee on the 7th of next month regarding allegations of instructing the destruction of evidence related to sexual bribery, interpretations suggest that the pro-Yoon forces are beginning a full-scale isolation campaign against Leader Lee.

This conflict structure is expected to continue until the 7th of next month. From the pro-Yoon faction's perspective, who aim to seize party leadership, it is advantageous to unsettle Leader Lee until the day of the Ethics Committee review. Some even believe the conflict could persist beyond the Ethics Committee's decision. Eom Gyeong-yeong, director of the Sidaejeongsin Research Institute, analyzed, "Even if measures such as warnings are issued, the pro-Yoon faction could use this as a pretext to call for a mid-term resignation."

The party leadership is refraining from mentioning 'internal party conflicts' and maintaining a cautious atmosphere. This is because, amid the declining approval ratings of President Yoon and the party, emphasizing the conflict between the pro-Yoon faction and Leader Lee is burdensome. Song Eon-seok, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, met with reporters after a current affairs briefing at the National Assembly that day and said, "I am worried that the situation is being pushed toward highlighting conflict structures," adding, "It is natural for people with somewhat different views to gather, and the important thing is the process of bringing together different opinions into a unified one. During that process, differences in opinion can cause clashes and noise," drawing a clear line on the issue.