People Power Party Floor Leader Recruitment Difficulty... "TK Veterans Must Step Up" Voices

Yeo Floor Leader Election Postponed from 3 to 9 Days
No One Opposes 'Lee Cheol-gyu Trend'
Four-term Kim Sang-hoon, Three-term Chu Kyung-ho and Song Eon-seok Mentioned

The floor leader of the People Power Party is facing difficulties in finding candidates. Although the floor leader election originally scheduled for the 3rd of this month was postponed to the 9th, there is still no one willing to run for the position. While some senior lawmakers are contemplating, opinions are emerging both inside and outside the party that a lawmaker from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region should take the lead.

The People Power Party announced the candidate registration for the floor leader election on the 2nd. Candidate registration is on the 5th, and the campaign period lasts until the 9th.

On the 2nd, a reannouncement notice for the election date of the floor leader was posted in front of the Planning and Coordination Bureau of the People Power Party at the National Assembly. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The reason the People Power Party postponed the floor leader election once was to allow enough campaign time for candidates to effectively communicate their philosophies to the lawmakers, but in reality, no one is stepping forward easily. The party also faced difficulties in appointing an emergency response committee chairman.

Previously, there were widespread talks that Representative Lee Cheol-gyu would run for floor leader, but he faced direct opposition within the party. On the 30th of last month, Representative Bae Hyun-jin urged Lee not to run in the floor leader election. On her Facebook, Representative Bae said, "Now is a time for reflection, introspection, shame, and responsibility," adding, "In the metropolitan area, many valuable talents were regrettably defeated. Please hold back your desire to run for a while and, even if you are afraid, I ask our party’s seniors to show a little more courage." Elected representative Ko Dong-jin of Seoul Gangnam-byeong also said the day before, "I hope the leader who leads the party prioritizes rational values for the nation and the people and produces results like a company so that politics does not become a futile endeavor," effectively vetoing Lee’s candidacy.

The reason the ruling party’s floor leader position has become so unpopular is due to the burden of having to face a large opposition party energized by their general election victory and issues related to coordination with the presidential office. Prominent potential candidates such as Representatives Kim Do-eup and Kim Seong-won have declared they will not run. Consequently, there are opinions that senior lawmakers elected from the People Power Party’s strongholds should step up. Among the TK region senior lawmakers mentioned as candidates for floor leader are four-term Representative Kim Sang-hoon and three-term Representatives Chu Kyung-ho and Song Eon-seok. On the same day, Kim Jong-hyuk, the People Power Party’s deputy head of organization, said on KBS Radio, "Those who have been elected multiple times under the party’s name should show a spirit of putting the party first and sacrificing themselves when the party is in its most difficult time," adding, "I hope they will muster the courage instead of hesitating."