PPP leadership crisis heads toward crossroads as party assembly looms

Calls mount for Jang Dong-hyeok to step down immediately, with even ruling-faction members saying he cannot stay; dispute over general election nomination rights deepens divisions; this week's assembly session seen as pivotal

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at a supreme council meeting. [Newsis]

Amid fierce recriminations over the People Power Party's defeat in the June 3 local elections, the question of what becomes of party leader Jang Dong-hyeok is expected to reach a turning point this week.

Jang has been trying to shift the narrative by focusing on a ballot shortage controversy, but his grip on the party has weakened to the point where some within the PPP are openly calling him a "figurehead leader." Attention is now turning to whether a general assembly of lawmakers scheduled for this week will settle the question of his accountability.

According to the PPP and other sources Sunday, 25 lawmakers belonging to "Alternative and Future," a grouping of reform-minded members, called for a general assembly on June 11 to discuss, among other issues, Jang's future.

In response, floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik notified the Alternative and Future group Sunday that he would hold the assembly at 10 a.m. on whichever day — June 17 or June 18 — the National Assembly plenary session is called.

A senior floor official said the assembly should give all lawmakers a chance to be heard, adding that "ultimately, the person who has to weigh all of that is leader Jang himself."

If the assembly convenes, the anti-Jang camp — comprising pro-Han Dong-hoon lawmakers, younger members and allies of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon — is expected to push through a resolution calling for Jang's resignation. While such a resolution would carry no legal force, a unified expression of will by the party's lawmakers could place considerable pressure on him.

First-term Greater Seoul lawmaker Kim Yong-tae wrote on Facebook Sunday that "leadership that uses election-fraud conspiracy theories manufactured by far-right YouTubers to shore up one's political position and hold onto party control, while solving none of the actual problems, must now come to an end."

Lawmakers from the PPP's reform-minded "Alternative and Future" group, led by secretary Lee Seong-gwon, bow before a press conference at the National Assembly on June 11 calling for party leader Jang Dong-hyeok to resign. [Yonhap]

Jang has pushed back against the narrative of defeat, characterizing it as a "psychological loss" and arguing that the party performed better than expected in the local elections and that its approval rating has since been climbing.

His closest allies have also been emphasizing that Jang, elected last August, has a two-year term running through August next year.

Jeong Hee-yong, the party secretary-general appointed under Jang, wrote on Facebook Sunday that "the public rendered its verdict through the election, and published polling shows the PPP's approval rating is rebounding." He added: "If someone persistently calls for the party leader's resignation, how will the public and party members judge the true intent behind that demand?"

Ruling-faction members outside Jang's innermost circle broadly believe he should be persuaded behind the scenes to step down voluntarily. Forcing him out while he is digging in, they fear, could trigger even greater turmoil.

The situation within the ruling party is also a factor the ruling faction is weighing. With the Democratic Party of Korea's Aug. 17 national convention approaching, factional tensions between pro-Jung Chung-rae forces and non-mainstream pro-Lee Jae Myung members are intensifying. The ruling faction calculates that the PPP cannot afford to be mired in its own internal strife at the same time, lest it forfeit any political benefit from the opposition's disarray.

The fact that the next party leader will hold nomination rights for the 2028 general election is widening the gap in calculations between the ruling faction and the anti-Jang camp. Within the ruling faction, some take the view that if Jang steps down voluntarily only to be re-elected at the next party convention on the strength of hard-line member support, it would be better to let the current leadership run its course.

Those demanding Jang's immediate resignation, however, argue that a new leadership capable of exercising nomination rights must be in place as soon as possible to prepare for the general election.

Youth supreme council member Woo Jae-jun, aligned with the pro-Han camp, said in a media interview Friday that if the current Jang leadership remains intact and a successor is elected next August, "the next leadership will have only six months in practice" — because nominations must be completed by February 2028, two months before the general election.

If Jang continues to hold out, there is effectively no mechanism to remove him short of collapsing the supreme council structure. Under PPP rules, if four or more elected supreme council members and youth council members resign or vacate their seats, the party transitions to an emergency committee system, stripping the leader and council members of their positions and authority.

Of the nine supreme council members, Woo — who has called for the entire leadership to resign — and Yang Hyang-ja have left open the possibility of stepping down. Attention is therefore focused on the decisions of Shin Dong-wook and Kim Jae-won, setting aside Jang's close allies Kim Min-su and Jo Gwang-han. Floor leader Jeong and the vacant policy committee chair also hold ex-officio seats on the council.

Chief spokesperson Choe Bo-yun told reporters at the National Assembly Sunday that Jang "has not indicated any intention to resign" and that no four supreme council members have announced plans to step down under party rules, shrugging off calls for the leadership to quit.

Meanwhile, floor leader Jeong is considering holding meetings with senior lawmakers and separate gatherings by parliamentary class this week to gather a broad range of views on Jang's future.

carrier@heraldcorp.com