Separate Meetings Held at National Assembly Main Building and Members’ Office
Party Member Recall Vote Against Leader Heo Likely to Take Place on the 24th
The internal conflict within the Reform New Party has escalated to the point where the party leader and the floor leader each preside over separate supreme council meetings. Both sides claim authority based on the Reform New Party’s party constitution and procedural legitimacy. The faction led by Floor Leader Cheon Ha-ram, aligned with Lee Jun-seok, passed a resolution to suspend Party Leader Heo Eun-ah’s duties, raising the likelihood that the internal dispute will escalate into a legal battle.
According to political circles on the 22nd, Heo Eun-ah, leader of the Reform New Party, presided over a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly main building in the morning, accompanied by Supreme Council Member Jo Dae-won and Policy Committee Chair Jung Sung-young. At the same time, Floor Leader Cheon and Policy Committee Chair Lee Ju-young, along with Supreme Council Members Lee Gi-in and Jeon Sung-gyun, held a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building.
The Lee Jun-seok faction of the Reform New Party leadership decided on the schedule for a party member recall vote against Leader Heo and Supreme Council Member Jo during the meeting. The day before, the Lee Jun-seok faction announced that they had resolved to immediately suspend the duties of Heo and Jo upon deciding to conduct the recall vote. The vote is proposed to take place over two days starting on the 24th. According to the Reform New Party’s constitution, if at least one-third of the top party members participate in the vote and a majority of valid votes are in favor, Leader Heo will be dismissed.
Leader Heo immediately opposed the Lee Jun-seok faction leadership, citing procedural violations. According to the party constitution and regulations, a party member recall request must be accepted by the Party Affairs Audit Committee, but the Lee Jun-seok faction leadership claimed it was accepted by the supreme council meeting. She argued that her suspension was illegal, citing that the required signatures from 20% of the top party members and 10% from each city and provincial party branch had not been properly verified.
As the internal conflict over leadership authority escalated into a show of force, signs of legal disputes also grew. Leader Heo’s side plans to take legal action, including filing an injunction against the recall vote and considering criminal complaints over physical confrontations. Heo stated, “We will strongly respond by all lawful means, including injunctions, against attempts to destroy party democracy,” and added, “We will also identify those responsible for the violent incidents and take appropriate measures.”
In response, Floor Leader Cheon repeatedly emphasized that the core issue in this situation is Leader Heo’s self-centered leadership. He said, “The essence of this conflict stems from the aftermath of the proportional representation candidate nomination conflict during the last general election, with pressures on party officials to create Heo’s pomp, protocol, and media exposure.”
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