Responsibility Debate and Absence from External Public Committee Meeting... Ruling Party's General Election White Paper Special Committee 'Squeaks'

Special Committee Denies Responsibility, Emphasizes Future Use of White Paper
Calls Within Party to Halt Production of General Election White Paper
External Public Official Members Absent from Special Committee Nomination Process Evaluation Meeting
Jo Jeonghun: "If Willing to Attend, Will Hold More Meetings"

The ruling party People Power Party is producing a general election white paper, amid heated debates over responsibility for the election defeat. Although the general election white paper task force (TF) has been elevated to a special committee, there are concerns that it may be half-hearted as external nomination management committee members have not participated in meetings related to the nomination process for the general election.

On the 17th, Cho Jeong-hoon, chairman of the People Power Party's general election white paper special committee, quoted a sentence from Shishio Nanami's book Roman History at the 'General Election White Paper Special Committee Nomination Evaluation Meeting' held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "The victory or defeat of this white paper is not about evaluating the qualities of a specific individual, but about examining how well the party utilized the qualities it possessed."

Shishio Nanami wrote in Roman History that "What determines winners and losers is not the superiority or inferiority of the qualities possessed by the parties involved, but how those qualities were utilized."

Chairman Cho also said, "Change is difficult. Change inevitably faces resistance, but change and resistance are not always in opposite directions," adding, "If change and resistance move in the same direction, the party can transform into a stronger party. The moment these two forces unite, the People Power Party will become a winning and stronger party."

At the meeting, former nomination management committee chairman Jeong Young-hwan also attempted to ease tensions, saying, "(Former emergency committee member) Han also bears responsibility, and I bear 100% responsibility, and even President Yoon Seok-yeol bears 100% responsibility." He emphasized in a meeting with reporters, "Those involved in this general election bear 100% responsibility. Asking 'who is more responsible' only sparks new debates and is unnecessary."

Cho Jeong-hoon, Chairman of the Special Committee for the 22nd General Election White Paper of the People Power Party, is speaking at the plenary meeting of the Special Committee for the 22nd General Election White Paper held at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 17th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Although Chairman Cho has repeatedly stated that the general election white paper is not intended to assign responsibility to a specific individual, suspicions remain within the party that it is aimed at preventing former emergency committee member Han Dong-hoon from making a comeback. Criticism has been raised against the so-called Lee-Jo judgment theory (referring to Lee Jae-myung and Cho Kuk) that emerged from some ruling party quarters even before the launch of the general election white paper TF, along with criticism of former committee member Han who led the general election. The white paper survey also included questions about the effectiveness of the Lee-Jo judgment theory and Han Dong-hoon's one-man campaign headquarters system.

In particular, Cho appeared on CBS Radio's Kim Hyun-jung's News Show on the same day and said, "There is no intention to attack a specific person. But responsibility is somewhat different," and pointed out, "Former committee member Han resigned from the emergency committee chairman position the day after the election because he acknowledged his responsibility," which sparked a bigger controversy.

There are also public calls to halt the general election white paper. Former lawmaker Shin Ji-ho said on KBS Radio that "the legitimacy of the white paper publication has been lost," and argued, "The white paper work should be stopped at this point." Shin especially mentioned, "It is widely known within the party that lawmaker Lee Cheol-gyu recommended Chairman Cho as the head of the white paper TF," adding, "So, it obviously looks like the white paper publication is aimed at preventing Han Dong-hoon's comeback."

Moreover, while former chairman Jeong and pro-Yoon People Power Party lawmakers Lee Cheol-gyu and Lee Jong-sung attended the meeting, lawmaker Jang Dong-hyuk, who participated in the confirmation hearing for the head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit, and six external nomination committee members were absent. It is reported that the external members decided not to attend, citing procedural and formal issues regarding meeting participation.

Lawmaker Jang criticized, "It is basic to coordinate times with the interviewees, but setting a date when many people cannot attend and then expressing regret over 'the unfortunate reality that many people could not participate together' is truly regrettable." In response, Chairman Cho told reporters after the meeting that he requested all 10 nomination committee members to attend the meeting and said, "If the seven members who did not attend today are willing to participate in the future general election white paper production process, I am willing to hold seven more meetings related to the general election and nominations."