"If the President and Party Leader Clash, It Spells Trouble," Says Na Kyungwon
People Power Party Appoints Five-Term Lawmaker Na Kyungwon as Judiciary Committee Secretary
Na Kyungwon, a member of the People Power Party, claimed that if she had been the party leader instead of former representative Han Donghoon, extreme situations like the December 3 emergency martial law would not have occurred. On the 28th, appearing on Channel A Radio's "Political Signal," Assemblywoman Na stated, "If the party leader and the president do not get along, it spells trouble. If we look back, during President Lee Myungbak's term, the party leader provided strong support for the first three years, which allowed President Lee to complete his term smoothly. But what happened during President Park Geunhye's time? Things started to go awry with floor leader Yoo Seungmin, and then with party leader Kim Moosung."
Na Kyungwon, a member of the People Power Party, claimed that if she had been the party leader instead of former representative Han Donghoon, extreme situations like the December 3 emergency martial law would not have occurred. Na Kyungwon Facebook
Assemblywoman Na further analyzed, "One of the reasons we are facing such difficulties now is that President Yoon Sukyeol and former party leader Han Donghoon did not have a good relationship at the time." When the host asked, "If you had become the party leader instead of Han Donghoon at the party convention on July 23 last year, do you think there would have been no martial law?" she replied, "I think so." She also commented on the incident before the March 8 party convention in January 2023, when 22 first-term lawmakers circulated a petition opposing her candidacy, saying, "Before that, they unreasonably circulated a petition to prevent me from running for party leader."
Additionally, Assemblywoman Na addressed the "party member bulletin board controversy" raised by Supreme Council member Kim Minsu, stating, "There were many suspicious aspects," and emphasized, "We need to clear this up once and for all." This remark was effectively aimed at former representative Han Donghoon. However, some within the party have expressed concerns that raising such issues immediately after the launch of the new leadership could unnecessarily escalate internal conflict.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the People Power Party appointed five-term senior lawmaker Na Kyungwon as the secretary of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, a position left vacant after the election of new party leader Jang Donghyuk. Previously, Jang Donghyuk had served as the committee secretary, but after being elected as the new party leader, Park Hyungsoo, a member of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee, had temporarily filled the role. Born in 1963, Assemblywoman Na graduated from Seoul National University School of Law and completed her master's and doctoral coursework in international law. She passed the 24th bar exam and served as a judge at the Busan and Incheon District Courts and the Seoul Administrative Court. Representing a constituency in the Seoul metropolitan area, Assemblywoman Na is a five-term senior lawmaker who has previously served as chair of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and as floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor to the People Power Party.
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