People Power Party favors 'Jungjin' as Emergency Committee Chair... Announcement expected early next week (Comprehensive)

Measures Following Han Dong-hoon's Resignation... No Clear Conclusion
Reelected Lawmaker Also Comments on Kwon Seong-dong's 'Dual Role'
First-term Lawmakers Say "Chair of Emergency Committee and Floor Leader Should Be Separate"

On the 19th, first- and second-term lawmakers of the People Power Party each held candidate recommendation committees and began discussing the recommendation of candidates for the Emergency Response Committee Chairperson (Emergency Committee Chair), but no clear conclusion was reached. However, there was a consensus to entrust the Emergency Committee Chair position to 'jungjin' lawmakers with experience and seniority. The People Power Party plans to gather opinions by term and select the Emergency Committee Chair accordingly.

With former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon resigning, the party has entered the stage of collecting opinions by term to form the Emergency Response Committee. Following the first- and second-term lawmakers' meeting on this day, a meeting of third-term lawmakers and others is expected to be held on the 20th. Kwon Seong-dong, acting party leader and floor leader, stated, "I asked for opinions by term to be submitted by the 20th, but I am not sure if that will be fulfilled," adding, "We will deliberate over the weekend and make an announcement early next week."

Kwon Seong-dong, Acting Leader and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party's strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 19th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

After the meeting, Eom Tae-young, representative of the second-term lawmakers' group, told reporters, "No names have been mentioned yet. We will gather individual opinions again and reach a conclusion by tomorrow morning." Regarding the form of the next leadership, Eom said that opinions were expressed that the nature of the Emergency Committee must be determined first to select the right person, whether it is a one-top system under Acting Leader Kwon or a two-top system considering the presidential election. This implies that there is also an opinion that Kwon, elected as floor leader, should concurrently hold the party leader position.

Regarding the nature of the Emergency Committee as envisioned by the second-term lawmakers, Eom mentioned, "It should probably lean towards political reform," and added, "For various reasons including stabilizing people's livelihoods, we think it should be someone knowledgeable and capable of unification." When asked if external figures were being considered, he said, "If the Emergency Committee is to prepare political reform and constitutional amendment, an external figure might be better, but many lawmakers do not think those who came from outside previously were very successful, so no conclusion has been reached."

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Kim Dae-sik, representative of the first-term lawmakers' group, said, "We discussed for an hour," and added, "We hope the new Emergency Committee Chair will be someone innovative yet experienced and capable of leading the party." He noted, "There seems to be an invisible conflict between first-term, second-term, and senior lawmakers," and said, "We need a figure who can overcome that conflict." He also mentioned that no specific candidate group has been decided yet. First-term lawmakers view the concurrent holding of the party leader and floor leader positions by Acting Leader Kwon as "preferably separated," expressing concern that "if too much burden is placed on one person, it could lead to overload."

Within the floor, senior figures such as six-term Joo Ho-young, deputy speaker of the National Assembly, and five-term lawmakers Kwon Young-se, Kim Ki-hyun, and Na Kyung-won are being mentioned, while outside the floor, senior party figures like former Saenuri Party (now People Power Party) leader Kim Moo-sung and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong are also being considered. Previously, the People Power Party held party meetings on the 16th and 18th, immediately after former leader Han Dong-hoon's resignation, to discuss candidates for the Emergency Committee Chair but failed to select one, shifting instead to a direction of recommending candidates by term. The People Power Party is expected to finalize the Emergency Committee Chair appointment as early as next week.