Personnel Reform Off the Table?... "Yoon Heesook Innovation Committee" Faces Futility Claims from the Start

Song Eonseok: "No Politics of Exclusion"

The Innovation Committee, tasked with leading the reform of the People Power Party, held its first meeting on July 10 and officially began its activities. However, skepticism is spreading both inside and outside the party. Yoon Heesook, the committee chairwoman who has positioned herself as the "innovation helmsman," plans to prepare reform proposals at the level of a party re-foundation and submit them to the party leadership next month. Nevertheless, doubts about the committee's effectiveness have already emerged, as there is reluctance to take visible actions such as personnel reform, and because the old mainstream leadership may not accept the proposed reforms.

People Power Party's Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader, and Yoon Heesook, newly appointed Innovation Committee Chairwoman, are entering the members' meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News

Song Eonseok, People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader, said at the Emergency Committee meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, "Yesterday, we appointed former lawmaker Yoon Heesook as the Innovation Committee Chairwoman," and added, "This appointment is a promise that the party will see innovation through to the end." Regarding the highly anticipated personnel reform within the party, he dismissed the idea, saying, "The innovation we need now is not politics aimed at excluding anyone, but rather returning to the fundamentals by rebuilding the party's decision-making structure, culture, and attitude toward party members and the public."

Song added, "We all need to have the mindset that we are both the agents and the subjects of innovation," and continued, "If we are to change the party, the starting point must be the party members, and the standard must be the common sense and expectations of the people." The "Yoon Heesook Innovation Committee" is tasked with reviving the party's reform drive, regaining public trust, and raising the party's approval rating, which has plummeted to the 20% range.

However, it remains uncertain whether the committee will achieve tangible results. This is because it is difficult to expect Chairwoman Yoon, who was appointed after Song rejected both former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Yongtae's five-point reform plan and lawmaker Ahn Cheolsoo's demand for personnel reform, to play a substantial role. Regarding the personnel reform of the "Ssangkwon" group (lawmakers Kwon Seongdong and Kwon Youngse), who were at the center of the presidential candidate replacement controversy, Yoon effectively expressed her refusal, stating, "Party members have never given any individual the authority to wield a knife against a specific person."

As a result, reactions both within and outside the party are skeptical. Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo criticized on his social media (Facebook) the previous day, saying, "The starting point of innovation is the removal of those responsible for the presidential election defeat and the abolition of vested interests," and added, "Only those prepared to start again from the ruins will be able to see the path to revival." Lawmaker Cho Kyungtae, who has declared his candidacy for the party convention, also pointed out on YTN Radio that day, "It seems that she (Chairwoman Yoon) still does not fully understand the sentiments of the people," and added, "This shows that our party is still not coming to its senses."