Heated Debate Over 'Secretary-General Dismissal'
Internal Party 'Heo Eun-a Veto' Present
Heo Eun-ah, leader of the Reform New Party, has been embroiled in internal strife since effectively dismissing Kim Cheol-geun, former Secretary-General and close aide to party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok.
On the 19th, Heo posted on her personal SNS, stating, "Last month, former Secretary-General Kim reportedly discussed amendments to the party constitution and regulations with some party office staff to expand the Secretary-General's authority." She added, "Not only is the content of disproportionately expanding the Secretary-General's powers problematic, but there is also an issue with the procedure, as some party officials not belonging to the Supreme Council attempted to revise a matter that had already been approved by the Supreme Council."
Lawmaker Lee immediately responded. He also posted on his personal SNS, saying, "No explanation based on false information will last even a day among party members," and disclosed the party office's report regarding the meeting on the 'party constitution and regulations amendment.' The report claimed that discussions related to the amendment were conducted as part of the routine work of the Party Constitution and Regulations Task Force (TF), formed by the Supreme Council in August. It also stated that there was no discussion aimed at expanding the Secretary-General's authority.
On January 3rd, before the founding of the Reform New Party, Huh Eun-ah, leader of the Reform New Party, and Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, are leaving the press conference room after holding a press conference. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Former Secretary-General Kim voluntarily resigned on the 16th after conflicts with Leader Heo intensified during the party constitution and regulations amendment process. Inside the party, it is widely regarded that Heo effectively dismissed Kim. Following Kim's dismissal, Lee Kyung-sun, Deputy Head of Organization, and Kwak Dae-jung, aide to the party leader, also stepped down from their positions.
Amid these events, a 'no-confidence debate' against Leader Heo erupted within the Reform New Party. On the 17th, the party officials' labor union issued a statement saying, "Yesterday, we faced an 'emergency party affairs situation' with the resignation of key senior party officials, including the Secretary-General and Deputy Head of Organization." The union criticized, "The seven months of vision and strategy vacuum since Leader Heo's election, and politics that prioritize individuals over the party?'Seonsa-hudang (先私後黨)'?have led to today's situation." The union also stated, "The fundamental and full responsibility for this situation lies with Leader Heo," and demanded "responsible measures from Leader Heo."
Former Secretary-General Kim also claimed on his personal SNS, "Leader Heo is distorting the facts as if I was caught conspiring with party officials to arbitrarily overhaul the party constitution and regulations to expand the Secretary-General's authority."
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