Jang Meets Senior Lawmakers, Vows to Seek Breakthrough...Joint Supreme Council?Senior Lawmakers Meeting to Be Revived

On February 26, People Power Party leader Jang Donghyuk commented on the ongoing intra-party conflict, including the so-called "Jeol-yoon (Absolute Break with Yoon)" movement, saying in a meeting with senior lawmakers, "I will think deeply about how to find a breakthrough and will gather a wide range of opinions."

Yonhap News Agency

According to Assemblyman Lee Jongbae, Jang met that morning at the National Assembly with senior lawmakers who have been elected four or more times and said, "I share the senior lawmakers' perception regarding the difficulties surrounding the June 3 local elections." A total of 17 senior lawmakers from the People Power Party attended the meeting.

Jang also decided to review the reinstatement of the joint meeting of the Supreme Council members and senior lawmakers, which the senior lawmakers had requested. Lee said, "The senior lawmakers agreed to further strengthen their role in the local elections and in the fight against the administration, and they also demanded the convening of a joint meeting of the Supreme Council and senior lawmakers chaired by the party leader, and Jang said he would do so," adding, "We expect that the joint meeting of the Supreme Council and senior lawmakers will be revived going forward."

Regarding the recent cases being brought before the Ethics Committee, mainly by party figures outside the National Assembly, Assemblyman Yoon Sanghyun said, "We said that the complaints filed with the party Ethics Committee by constituency party committee chairs outside the National Assembly also amount to division, so we should take a broad-minded approach to past remarks and move forward in a new way."

At the meeting, some senior lawmakers, including Assemblyman Cho Kyungtae, were reported to have urged a change of course, including "Jeol-yoon." In response, Jang said, "I will reflect on this carefully. I will listen to diverse voices," according to Cho. On this, Lee said, "The leader also recognizes that the party's current situation is difficult, that it will be hard to fight the local elections in this state, and he said he would work hard to prepare a breakthrough."

However, Chief Spokesperson Choi Boyoon, who was present, drew a line, saying, "The term 'change of course' was not used in the senior lawmakers' meeting," and added, "What is accurate is that there was deep reflection on the need to find a breakthrough."