Handonghun Able to Run for Policy Committee Chair
Many Pro-Han Figures Expected in Supreme Council
Jeong Jeong-sik, the Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, stepped down from his position on the 1st. The issue of appointing the Policy Committee Chair, which had been a problem since Han Dong-hoon took office as party leader, has found a breakthrough.
At a press conference held at the National Assembly on the same day, Chair Jeong said, "As of this moment, I would like to resign as the Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party," adding, "I hope that the (successor Policy Committee Chair), who will be approved and elected at the upcoming party meeting, will lead the People Power Party lawmakers together with Party Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho to secure victory in the local elections in two years and the presidential election in three years, thereby laying the foundation for the party's continued governance."
Jeong Jeon-sik, Policy Committee Chairman of the People Power Party (right), is talking with Choo Kyung-ho, Floor Leader. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Regarding his decision to resign, he explained, "Yesterday at 2 p.m., the Secretary-General publicly stated that party officials appointed or dismissed by the party leader should resign, and after much consideration, I consulted extensively with the Floor Leader and concluded that resigning was the right choice to prevent party division."
Seemingly aware of criticism for not resigning despite the launch of Han’s leadership, Chair Jeong said, "The Policy Committee Chair is fundamentally a parliamentary body, established under the lawmakers' meeting," emphasizing, "It is not a party organization but a parliamentary one." He added, "According to the party constitution, the only positions with fixed terms are the party leader, supreme council members, floor leader, and Policy Committee Chair," and explained, "Since the Policy Committee Chair is not a party official with the appointment and dismissal rights exercised by the party leader, there was also the opinion that I should not step down, which made me deliberate."
However, regarding his decision to resign, he said, "Considering party unity and the goal of winning the local elections in two years and the presidential election, I exchanged many opinions with the Floor Leader before deciding to resign." On the internal calls for his resignation, he explained, "I believed that at least a minimum procedure should be followed for resignation," and added, "I judged that decisions should not be made based solely on remarks from the party leader’s close aides, so I had not even considered my position until now."
With Chair Jeong’s resignation, it is expected that Leader Han will soon begin appointing a successor for the Policy Committee Chair and other positions. Depending on the successor appointments, Leader Han will be able to fill more than half of the party’s highest decision-making body, the Supreme Council, with pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction members.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
