Meeting with Yeo Senior Members and Choo Kyung-ho: "Special Inspector Vote Should Be Avoided"

Choo Kyung-ho "Various opinions within the party... will listen to views"
Cho Kyung-tae "Special Inspector atmosphere positive... public sentiment serious"

Senior members of the People Power Party conveyed to Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho their stance that an internal party vote should be avoided regarding the appointment of the special inspector. The People Power Party plans to gather opinions on the special inspector at a party meeting centered around Floor Leader Choo. The decision-making method through a party vote appears to reflect concerns that it could rather trigger internal division.

Handonghun, leader of the People Power Party, and Chukyung-ho, floor leader, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 31st. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

After concluding the senior members' meeting at the National Assembly on the 31st, Floor Leader Choo told reporters, "There are various views on the special inspector, so it is difficult to define it with precise terms," and added, "Many said that if this party meeting leads to further division and conflict within the party, going toward a voting process should be seriously reconsidered."

When asked if there is an opinion within the party that there is no need to discuss the appointment of the special inspector at the scheduled party meeting, he replied, "Since there are various views, I will listen to several lawmakers before the party meeting."

Assemblyman Cho Kyung-tae, who attended the meeting, was asked if there are many negative opinions within the party about the special inspector. He responded, "That is not the case. The atmosphere is positive," emphasizing, "I believe public sentiment is serious and has crossed the threshold."

Regarding the Democratic Party of Korea’s release of a recorded conversation alleging that President Yoon Seok-yeol intervened in the candidate nomination for the June 2022 by-elections, Floor Leader Choo said, "We did not discuss the matter in detail," adding, "The presidential office has issued a statement, and the facts are generally understood at that level."

On the same day, the presidential office dismissed the nomination interference allegations through a media notice, stating, "The conversation between then President-elect Yoon and Mr. Myung Tae-gyun was not particularly memorable or important, and since Mr. Myung kept mentioning candidate Kim Young-seon’s nomination, it was just a polite response." Earlier that morning, the Democratic Party held an emergency press conference and played the recorded phone call between President Yoon and Mr. Myung. The recording included President Yoon saying to Mr. Myung, "The nomination committee brought it to me, and since Kim Young-seon worked hard during the primary, I told them to give it to Kim Young-seon, but there’s a lot of talk about it within the party."