PPP leader pushes back on resignation demands immediately upon returning from hospital

'Righting our party is the first step in rebuilding conservatism'

On ruling camp's push for electoral commission constitutional reform: 'Say no second term first'

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok arrives at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Wednesday afternoon after being discharged from hospital following a six-day stay due to health complications, and heads to the party leader's office. [Newsis]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok arrives at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Wednesday afternoon after being discharged from hospital following a six-day stay due to health complications, and heads to the party leader's office. [Newsis]

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok drew a firm line against calls for his resignation Wednesday, declaring there would be no stepping down moments after returning to party duties following his discharge from hospital.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly that afternoon, Jang said the party belongs to its members and that they must decide the fate of its leader. His remarks were a direct rebuttal to voices within the party demanding his resignation over the PPP's defeat in the local elections.

"Whether the party leader stays or goes is not something the party leader decides alone, and it is certainly not something a handful of lawmakers get to decide," Jang said. "Now is absolutely not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves over such matters."

He added that party members had issued a clear mandate: stop what he called the tyranny of the Lee Jae-myung administration, protect the country and its people, and unite as one to do so.

Jang doubled down on the need for internal discipline, saying nothing angered party members more than seeing the party destabilized and drifting away from their will and public sentiment. He said allowing the situation to continue was no longer an option, and that reforming the party and restoring its discipline had become an urgent task that could no longer be deferred.

"I believe that righting our party is the first step in rebuilding conservatism," Jang said. "Opening a genuine era of member sovereignty is the surest path to rebuilding the conservative movement, and I will spare no effort to achieve the true conservative renewal our members are calling for."

On the question of a leadership reshuffle widely expected to follow his return, Jang drew a line, saying Wednesday was not the day for such announcements. "Now is the time to focus on the special prosecutor to restore voting rights, by-elections, electoral system reform, National Election Commission reform, and blocking the special prosecutor to drop charges while pushing for the resumption of President Lee Jae-myung's trial," he said.

Asked about the ruling camp's push for a single-issue constitutional amendment targeting the National Election Commission, Jang questioned why they were reviving a reform effort that had already failed before the local elections. "If President Lee first says the words — no second term — and constitutional reform discussions follow from there, public consensus will grow far more broadly," he said.


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