The curtain falls on Jeong Jin-seok's emergency committee... Despite criticism of bias toward Yoon's core faction, his value soared

Leading the Ruling Party Leadership for 6 Months Since Last September
"Showing Behavior That Supports a Specific Candidate" Criticism Also Raised

The emergency response committee led by Jeong Jin-seok came to an end with the 3.8 party convention that elected the new leadership of the People Power Party. Jeong, who took charge amid an unprecedented crisis following the collapse of the ruling party leadership early in President Yoon Seok-yeol's administration, is evaluated as having led the party smoothly and asserted his presence, but he also faces criticism for being biased toward the 'Yoon Core Group' (key associates of President Yoon Seok-yeol).

According to the People Power Party on the 8th, the Jeong Jin-seok emergency response committee officially launched last September and led the party for about six months. After former party leader Lee Jun-seok, who was accused of 'sexual bribery,' was severely disciplined with a six-month suspension of party membership, the 'Joo Ho-young emergency committee' was formed, but the court ruled it invalid. Jeong, one of the longest-serving members in the party (five terms), even gave up his position as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly at the time to take charge of the emergency committee.

Jung Jin-seok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 6th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Within the party, the Jeong Jin-seok emergency committee generally received positive evaluations. A first-term lawmaker from the People Power Party said, "Given the nature of an emergency committee, its basic role is to manage the party during difficult times and hand it over to the next leadership rather than making major changes. From that perspective, the party regained stability and successfully held the party convention in a timely manner, so it ended very well." A senior party lawmaker also evaluated, "He handled it calmly and without major issues." In September last year, President Yoon Seok-yeol's approval rating hit a low in the low 20% range, and the party's approval rating lagged behind the Democratic Party, but recently, the president's approval rating has risen to the 40% range, and the party's approval rating slightly surpasses the Democratic Party.

Because of this, the majority agree that Jeong firmly established his presence. Some see him as a strong candidate for Speaker of the National Assembly if he wins in the next general election. Another first-term lawmaker explained, "Jeong probably has plans for his next political move, and everyone will highly evaluate how well he led the party this time." Another lawmaker emphasized, "With five terms, he should be considered a historic figure, and if our party becomes the majority in the next general election, he could aim for the Speaker position, and he has come closest to that."

However, there are criticisms that, by coordinating closely with the party, government, and the presidential office, he leaned toward the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction within the party. When Ahn Cheol-soo, a candidate for party leader, mentioned the 'Ahn-Yoon alliance,' Jeong said, "In any case, it is proper to refrain from intentionally involving the president or the presidential office in internal party elections." When candidate Cheon Ha-ram used terms like 'traitors' and 'Yoon Core Group,' Jeong warned, "Some candidates are stirring up the election atmosphere with malicious frames like 'traitors' and 'Yoon Core Group,' and I hope they restrain themselves." Because of this, boos were heard while Jeong was giving his opening remarks at the People Power Party joint debate. A party lawmaker who requested anonymity said, "Although the party convention was entrusted to the election management committee, there have been behaviors that seemed to support certain candidates," expressing concern, "I don't know what the outcome of those actions will be."

Political commentators analyze that Jeong's strong remarks in the latter half of the emergency committee are closely related to the next general election. Jeong recently described the narrowly rejected arrest motion against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, as a "political death sentence," and targeted Lee by saying, "He cannot avoid judicial processing by relying on 'pitchforks and loyal supporters.'" This is interpreted as Jeong, a five-term lawmaker, being conscious of the so-called 'purge of senior lawmakers' that occurs every general election. Um Kyung-young, head of the Era Spirit Research Institute, said, "By gaining President Yoon's approval, he can avoid being purged and may advance ahead of others competing for the Speaker position." Political commentator Park Sang-byeong also said, "Since the president's term still has a long way to go, the political center inevitably revolves around the president. He is raising his voice and strongly attacking the opposition to survive the upcoming general election. This is similar to when first-term People Power Party lawmakers circulated a petition related to former lawmaker Na Kyung-won."