People Power Party to Elect New Leader and Supreme Council Members Today
Runoff to Be Held on 26th If No Candidate Wins Majority
Focus on How Many Pro-Impeachment Candidates Will Join Supreme Council
The People Power Party will hold its national convention on the 22nd to elect a new leadership. As Kim Moonsoo and Jang Donghyuk, both members of the anti-impeachment (Bantan) faction, are expected to advance to the final round for the party leader position, attention is focused on how many pro-impeachment (Chantan) candidates for Supreme Council member will be included in the new leadership.
People Power Party's Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader, is attending the floor countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News
The People Power Party will hold its 6th national convention at 2 p.m. on this day at Osco in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. At this convention, one new party leader, four Supreme Council members, and one Youth Supreme Council member will be elected. The winners will be determined by combining the votes of party member delegates (80%) and a public opinion poll (20%). In the mobile and ARS (automated response system) voting for party members held over two days starting on the 20th, 334,272 out of 753,076 eligible delegates participated, recording a turnout of 44.39%.
Attention is focused on whether any of the four candidates for party leader-Kim Moonsoo, Ahn Cheolsoo, Jang Donghyuk, and Cho Kyungtae (listed in alphabetical order)-will secure a majority of the votes. If no candidate receives a majority, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates, and the final winner will be confirmed on the 26th. Although Kim Moonsoo, the party's candidate in the June 3 presidential election, has shown a lead in support, it remains uncertain whether he can secure a majority in the final tally. Many analysts predict that Jang Donghyuk, who is backed by the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction and far-right YouTuber Jeon Hangil, will advance to the runoff as one of the top two candidates.
Pro-impeachment (Chantan) candidates Ahn Cheolsoo and Cho Kyungtae appear to be losing support within the party. Although they have called for 'conservative innovation' through party reform and personnel renewal, recent events such as a special prosecutor's raid on party headquarters have further tilted party sentiment toward anti-impeachment candidates. There was speculation at one point about the possibility of unifying the 'innovation candidates' Ahn and Cho, but this did not materialize as Ahn refused. Ahn has stated, "A characteristic of my campaigns is that my actual results are always 5-10% higher than the polls," expressing confidence in making it to the runoff.
For the Supreme Council, four out of eight candidates-Kim Geunsik, Kim Minsu, Kim Taewoo, Kim Jaewon, Son Beomgyu, Shin Dongwook, Yang Hyangja, and Choi Sujin (listed in alphabetical order)-will be elected. Shin Dongwook, a sitting lawmaker; Kim Geunsik, who is classified as pro-Han Donghoon; Kim Minsu, who enjoys strong support from hardline conservatives; and Kim Jaewon, who served as chief of staff during Kim Moonsoo's presidential campaign, are considered strong contenders.
For the Supreme Council seat reserved for women, Choi Sujin, who recently served as party spokesperson, enjoys the advantage of being a current lawmaker. However, some analysts believe it will not be easy for her to defeat Yang Hyangja, who has higher name recognition due to her multiple runs in major elections such as the presidential race. For the Youth Supreme Council seat, Woo Jaejun and Son Sujo are competing after unifying their candidacies. While Woo has the advantage of being a current lawmaker, it is difficult to guarantee victory against Son, who is well-known as a 'Park Geunhye kid' and 'Moon Jaein challenger.'
Among the Supreme Council candidates, Kim Geunsik, Yang Hyangja, and Woo Jaejun belong to the pro-impeachment (Chantan) faction. As it is highly likely that an anti-impeachment (Bantan) candidate will take the party leader position, a key point of interest is how many pro-impeachment figures will be included in the leadership. According to the People Power Party's constitution and regulations, if four out of the five elected Supreme Council members resign, the party shifts to an Emergency Response Committee system. Therefore, the number of pro-impeachment candidates elected could play an important role in determining the future direction of the People Power Party.
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