People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se said Wednesday that "a great many people in the party think both Jang Dong-hyeok and Han Dong-hoon have problems."

Speaking on CBS Radio that day, Kwon said the party had failed to channel its post-local election defeat into any meaningful internal discussion. "After the local election loss, there was no real outpouring of debate within the party about setting up any kind of body or mechanism to address what went wrong," he said.

On Jang's recent remark that he is "preparing measures to change the party," Kwon said the PPP leader had not said a word about the direction in which conservatives should reform. "What should come first is reflecting again on what policy lines our party has taken on specific issues, and thinking hard about which direction can win back the support and trust of the people," he said.

Kwon added that the party urgently needed to change in response to the public sentiment revealed in the local elections, but that no such effort was visible. "The so-called Olympic Park voting rights denial and fraud incident did happen, but the party cannot be consumed by that alone. Our party needs to start its own reform on its own terms," he said.

On the party's policy direction, Kwon asked whether there were areas to fix in specific economic and security policies, as well as in the party's political conduct. "Simply put, the People Power Party's signature policies were nowhere to be seen," he said.

On Han, Kwon said that for Han to rejoin the party and pursue conservative values, he must clearly account for the so-called party member bulletin board controversy. "Unless those issues are resolved, it is not appropriate for him to return to the party right now," he said.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com