Yoon Heesook Appointed to Fill Ahn Cheolsoo's Vacancy
Hwang Wooyeo Named as Convention Election Committee Chair
Opposition Party Helpless Amid Ruling Party and Special Prosecutor's Offensive
The People Power Party has appointed Yoon Heesook, head of the Yeouido Institute, as the new chairman of the Innovation Committee, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of lawmaker Ahn Cheolsoo. In addition, Hwang Woo-yeo, former Emergency Response Committee Chairman, has been selected as the chairman of the Election Management Committee for the party convention scheduled for next month. This move is interpreted as an attempt to overcome the party crisis caused by the disruption of the Innovation Committee through the appointment of 'Yoon Heesook and Hwang Woo-yeo.' However, there are also voices questioning whether the 'Song Eonseok leadership,' whose authority has been damaged by a series of setbacks, can stably lead the party until the convention.
People Power Party's Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader, is getting on the elevator after a back briefing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News
Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader, told reporters after holding an emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 9th, "We have invited Yoon Heesook, head of the Yeouido Institute, to serve as the Innovation Committee Chair. I believe that Yoon, an economic expert representing centrist conservatism, will lead the committee well." This appointment comes just two days after Ahn resigned as Innovation Committee Chair due to conflicts with the party leadership and announced his candidacy for the convention.
Chairman Song said, "I am confident that our party will break away from its failed past and become the helmsman of innovation, moving closer to public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area. I believe that all the confusion and conflicts the party is experiencing will, in the long run, become part of the innovation process." Regarding the background of appointing Yoon, Song explained, "She was considered a strong candidate from the beginning. We spoke yesterday, and she willingly agreed to take on the role."
Yoon will concurrently serve as head of the Yeouido Institute until the Innovation Committee concludes its work on August 31. In addition to Choi Hyungdu, appointed as a committee member on the 7th, spokesperson Ho Junseok, Yeouido Institute Deputy Director Lee Jaeseong, and former Education Ministry policy advisor Kim Hyoeun, Bae Jihwan, a Suwon city council member, was newly appointed to the committee on this day. Song also appointed Hwang Woo-yeo, who has served as the party’s Supreme Council member, Floor Leader, Emergency Response Committee Chairman, and presidential primary election management committee chair, as the chairman of the convention election management committee. Although the date for the convention has not yet been finalized, the party is considering holding it on August 19 at Osco in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.
Although Song moved quickly to appoint both the Innovation Committee Chair and the Election Management Committee Chair in an attempt to address the crisis, the situation inside and outside the party remains challenging. There is a prevailing perception that the Innovation Committee, which was intended as a game-changer, has already lost momentum. If the reform proposals put forth by Yoon fall short of expectations, especially given that Ahn's demands for personnel renewal have been blocked by Song and the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction, criticism that the reforms are merely for show to protect the old mainstream will be inevitable. A People Power Party official pointed out, "Chairman Song, by pushing the Innovation Committee too aggressively, has only created the impression that the old mainstream is blocking reform. Now, whatever proposals the committee presents, criticism will follow."
Another problem is that the 'Song Eonseok Emergency Committee' has appeared powerless, overshadowed by the dominant ruling party since its launch. The nomination of Kim Minseok as Prime Minister, which was considered Song's first major test, was passed through a vote by the Democratic Party of Korea and other pro-government forces. Even the position of Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair, considered the 'last bastion,' was conceded to the ruling party. Since then, the party has been unable to counter the Democratic Party's legislative push on the supplementary budget bill, the three broadcasting laws, and the amendment to the Commercial Act.
In addition, on the previous day, the Kim Keonhee special prosecutor began a full-scale investigation targeting the ruling party by conducting a search and seizure of the office of People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sanghyun in connection with allegations of nomination interference by former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife. The People Power Party plans to hold a general assembly of lawmakers in the afternoon to discuss the formation of a party-level response team to the special prosecutor's investigation. A party official said, "A series of confirmation hearings for ministerial nominees is just around the corner, but it is not even easy to bring down a single nominee. While the investigation may have some impact, the overall mood is one of helplessness."
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