With Legal Representatives, "Interim Floor Leader System Unavoidable"... Calls for 'Kwon Seong-dong's Resignation' at Party Meeting

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 27th, the legal representative of the People Power Party stated that, following the court's provisional injunction to suspend Joo Ho-young, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman, from performing his duties, a system in which the floor leader acts as the interim chairman of the Emergency Response Committee is inevitable. However, at the People Power Party's parliamentary meeting held that day, voices emerged calling for Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong to take responsibility for the current situation and resign.

In the 'Review of Provisional Injunction Decision and Status Analysis' document distributed under the name of lawyer Hwang Jeong-geun, who represents the party in the objection to the provisional injunction, the party made these claims.

Lawyer Hwang stated in the written document, "Since the court did not appoint a separate interim officer while granting the provisional injunction, this is equivalent to a 'party leader accident,' and according to the party constitution (Article 96, Paragraph 5 and Article 29), the floor leader has no choice but to act as the 'interim chairman of the Emergency Response Committee.'"

He also emphasized, "The decision to suspend the Emergency Response Committee Chairman's duties does not immediately dissolve the Emergency Response Committee; rather, the floor leader will again act as the 'interim chairman of the Emergency Response Committee.' Unless a separate suspension of duties is imposed on the eight Emergency Response Committee members in the future, the legal status of these eight members remains unchanged."

This is a rebuttal to the former leader Lee Jun-seok's side, which is considering filing an additional provisional injunction against the remaining Emergency Response Committee members regarding the party's policy to maintain the Emergency Response Committee system. Lawyer Hwang pointed out, "Since the creditor (former leader Lee) did not previously file a provisional injunction to prohibit the appointment of Emergency Response Committee members, the appointment of the eight Emergency Response Committee members through the resolution of the Standing National Committee on the 16th, before the suspension decision on the 26th after Chairman Joo was appointed, and other personnel authority exercises are lawful."

However, at the People Power Party parliamentary meeting held that afternoon to devise countermeasures, voices calling for Floor Leader Kwon's resignation also emerged. During the meeting, Representative Yoon Sang-hyun briefly stepped out to meet with reporters and said, "Floor Leader Kwon should resign, a new floor leader should be elected, and the new floor leader should act as the party leader's interim, from which the situation should be resolved. I expressed the opinion that he should make a decision for himself (Floor Leader Kwon), the president, and the country with a responsible attitude."

Representative Yoon also conveyed that Representative Kim Woong expressed similar opinions. He said, "Representative Kim Woong spoke, and so did I and other representatives who came from the provinces," indicating that there are quite a few voices demanding resignation.

He emphasized, "First, the floor leadership must make a decision to resign, and those who are targets of the media should step back to the second line. The political direction of our People Power Party is for the new leadership to tone down former leader Lee Jun-seok and to create reconciliation between President Yoon Seok-yeol and former leader Lee."