Ha Tae-kyung: "Yoon Won't Think About 'Who to Support as Party Leader'"

"Joo Ho-young, 3 Key Conditions for Party Leader
Must Prioritize National Governance Tasks"

Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, is being interviewed at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 1st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] On the 6th, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, positively evaluated the three conditions for the next party leader proposed by Floor Leader Joo Ho-young (▲support from the MZ generation ▲reflection of public opinion in the metropolitan area ▲stable candidate selection), saying, "The President will not think about pushing for any particular party leader."

On the same day, Ha appeared on MBC Radio and emphasized that the President should also recognize the three conditions proposed by Floor Leader Joo. He said, "This is not about party affairs but about national governance. It is not about catering to our party's hardline supporters or traditional voter base, but prioritizing policies that have strong support from young people and national agendas preferred more in the metropolitan area. I believe the President should pursue this," adding, "These are priority conditions for national governance tasks and also key conditions for our party leader and the party's initiatives."

He further argued that the current party leadership election rule, which allocates 70% weight to party member votes and 30% to general public opinion polls, should be reconsidered by increasing the party member proportion to 90% and lowering the public opinion poll to 10%.

Ha said, "Most of our party members are from the Yeongnam region, nearly two-thirds, and are not from the MZ generation. The senior voter base is centered around those in their 60s and 70s, with 70-80% being in their mid-60s or older," adding, "When considering public opinion in the metropolitan area and among the MZ generation, rather than a 7 to 3 ratio, public opinion should be weighted as 7 and party opinion reduced."

When asked if the reason for changing the party leader election rules was due to concerns about former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min's election, he said, "We have to accept reality," and added, "No matter who becomes the leader, I think it is essential to have the mindset of cooperating well with that leader."