Kim Moonsoo, Jang Donghyuk and Other Anti-Impeachment Faction VS Ahn Cheolsoo, Cho Kyungtae and Other Pro-Impeachment Faction
Ahn Cheolsoo's Camp Dismisses Unification, Saying "Cho Kyungtae's Approach to Personnel Reform Is Different"
A lawmaker classified as being close to Han commented to Asia Economy on the 24th, "Former leader Han made this decision after a long period of deliberation. Having participated in many elections, he probably judged that he needs time to build more experience," explaining the reason behind Han's decision not to run.
Former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon is leading the national anthem at the '23rd Anniversary Ceremony of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong Victory' held at the Naval 2nd Fleet Command Chungmu Dongsan in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News
With Han's decision not to run, the August 22 party convention to elect the new People Power Party leader is expected to be structured mainly between Kim Moonsoo, former Minister of Employment and Labor, and Jang Donghyuk, both of whom oppose the impeachment, and Ahn Cheolsoo and Cho Kyungtae, who supported the impeachment.
Whether the innovation candidates will unify remains uncertain. Representative Cho is advocating for party reform through personnel renewal and has proposed the unification of innovation candidates via a roundtable discussion, but Representative Ahn remains skeptical. A representative from Ahn's camp stated, "The candidates will naturally be narrowed down in the runoff," and drew a line by saying, "Now is not the time to talk about unification." Previously, Representative Cho identified 45 lawmakers who gathered in front of the Hannam-dong official residence to prevent the attempted arrest of former President Yoon as targets for personnel renewal, while Representative Ahn pointed to two individuals who held positions of political responsibility during the presidential election as subjects for reform.
Ahn Cheolsoo, a presidential candidate of the People Power Party, visited Seoul City Hall on the 24th to have a lunch meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon and is greeting Mayor Oh. Photo by Yonhap News
Meanwhile, applications for candidate registration for the People Power Party convention will be accepted from July 30 to July 31. The main election will be held over two days, from August 20 to August 21. As of 10:00 a.m. on July 25, seven people have registered as candidates: Kim Moonsoo, former Minister of Employment and Labor; Jang Sungmin, former Director of Future Strategy Planning at the Presidential Office; Ahn Cheolsoo; Jang Donghyuk; Cho Kyungtae; Joo Jinwoo; and Yang Hyangja, former lawmaker.
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