People Power Party floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong speaks during a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in the latter's residence in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

PPP to launch new emergency committee; Kweon faces growing calls to step down

By Nam Hyun-woo

People Power Party Rep. Joo Ho-young speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps

Factional infighting that has plagued the ruling People Power Party (PPP) is showing signs of escalating after a court decision in favor of ousted leader, Lee Jun-seok, as those loyal to President Yoon Suk-yeol are still intent on preventing Lee from returning to power.

On Saturday, the PPP decided to launch a new emergency committee by amending party regulations and starting a push to take additional disciplinary action against Lee after a court ruled Friday to suspend Rep. Joo Ho-young from the interim leadership position.

However, the internal feud is entering into a new phase as the PPP decided to keep its existing interim emergency committee under the leadership of floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, Yoon's key associate and former acting chairman, until it forms a new emergency committee. There are mounting calls for Kweon to step down from those who believe he should take responsibility for the ongoing crisis. In late July, Kweon came under fire for leaking text messages between him and Yoon, in which the president criticized Lee.

According to PPP spokesperson Rep. Park Hyeung-soo, the party held, Saturday, a general meeting of representatives and decided to form a new emergency committee after amending a number of articles in its charter. The party plans to file an appeal to overturn the Fridaly ruling.

The move came after the Seoul Southern District Court on Friday partially accepted the ousted chairman's request for an injunction nullifying the PPP's decision earlier this month to form the emergency committee that stripped Lee of his chairmanship.

In its ruling, the court said the PPP's decision was "erroneous" because there was "no crisis situation that warrants an emergency committee," reflecting much of what Lee has pointed out in his injunction request.

"Following the court's decision, there is a limit in maintaining the current emergency committee," Park, spokesperson, said. "To address these problems, we will amend the related party charter and regulations and then organize a new emergency committee."

In this process, the party seeks to have floor leader Kweon serve as "acting interim leader" and amend its charter to define "an emergency situation" more accurately.

Article 96 of the PPP's charter states that the party can set up an emergency committee as its leadership in the event of "an emergency situation such as the chairman's post becoming vacant or the supreme council losing its function."

Park said the party is now considering adding more details defining an emergency situation, such as the resignation of half of the supreme council members.

Former People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok, right, poses with a participant of a snack festival in Daegu, Saturday. Yonhap

This appears to be a tactic to consolidate its decision to assign an emergency committee to assume leadership and prevent the ousted chairman from posing a further challenge. Lee told Yonhap News Agency that he will file additional injunctions to the court if the PPP keeps the emergency committee and floor leader Kweon takes the party's helm as an acting interim leader.

Lee, who played a vital role in winning young voters' support in Yoon's March 9 presidential election, has been clashing with the president, Kweon and other close associates of the country's leader who control the party's mainstream, calling them "the old establishment."

In what appears to be a struggle for the leadership of the conservative party, the PPP suspended Lee's chairmanship last month citing he attempted to cover up an allegation that he accepted sexual services as a bribe in exchange for political favors, despite Lee's claims of innocence, and then formed the emergency committee earlier this month to oust the young chairman.

People Power Party Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae calls on floor leader Kweon Seong-dong to resign during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday. Joint Press Corps

Although the PPP is poised to form a new emergency committee under Kweon's leadership, some members are opposing this, heralding further conflict in the party.

"Kweon's text message scandal has created serious political repercussions," PPP Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae said during a press conference at the National Assembly, Sunday. "The PPP has launched the emergency committee without procedural legitimacy and faced a court injunction. … If we fail to correct ourselves, we are set to fail."

Kweon took the acting chairman post after Lee's suspension. He resigned from the post, however, after the revelation of the president's text message to Kweon, in which the president called Lee a party leader who is "pointing guns inwards at us."

"The decision to launch a new emergency committee has killed politics, democracy and the president," PPP Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun wrote on Facebook, Sunday. "The only way of resurrecting politics and saving the president is the resignation of floor leader Kweon."

PPP Rep. Ha Tae-keung also wrote on Facebook that "the party shows no signs of remorse or self-scrutiny," and it is now "trying to fight with the court and the public." After Saturday's general meeting, Ha told reporters, "Our party is doomed."