Jang focuses on budget, livelihood issues

Oh eyes intraparty expansion after acquittal

Han broadens ties with PPP lawmakers

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok (left), Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon [The Herald Business DB]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok (left), Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon [The Herald Business DB]

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon all made appearances at the National Assembly on Tuesday, each working to raise their political profile. Observers say the trio's moves could signal the start of a competition that extends beyond the next party leadership race to a broader contest for the conservative presidential candidacy.

Jang held a press conference at the Assembly, unveiling what he called a "five priorities budget" and sharply criticizing the direction of the government and ruling party's proposed budget for next year. "To increase 'good spending,' there must be an equal amount of 'bad spending' to cut," he said. "The government and the ruling party must stop their unilateral budget rampage and put their heads together to build a budget that truly serves the people."

Jang has recently used Facebook to mount a series of attacks on President Lee Jae Myung's conduct while broadening his offensive on livelihood issues. The shift is also being read as a strategic move to widen his appeal — stepping back from the election-fraud allegations that had dominated his agenda after a special prosecution team appointed by the National Election Commission conducted a public verification of ballots.

Oh's appearance at a forum titled "World Heritage Conservation and the Future of Cities: Finding a Path to Coexistence" marked his first National Assembly visit since an appeals court acquitted him, drawing considerable attention from political circles. The forum was attended by Seoul PPP chapter chair Cho Eun-hee, lawmaker Kwon Young-jin and other allies of Oh, as well as party leadership including Jang and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik.

Political observers are watching closely to see whether Oh, now largely free of legal risk, will move aggressively to expand his base within the party. The prevailing view is that rather than running directly in the next party leadership election, Oh is more likely to build intraparty influence by backing figures who share his political line.

Potential allies mentioned in political circles include opposition lawmakers who attended his appeals court sentencing, former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, and lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Ahn Cheol-soo. Whether any such alliance will actually materialize — and in what form — remains undecided, leaving future intraparty dynamics as a key variable.

Han has also been stepping up contact with PPP lawmakers as he seeks to expand his influence within the party. On Tuesday, Han co-hosted a forum on party reform — "What Should Be Done and How?" — with lawmakers Kim Ki-hyun and Yoon Sang-hyun. Discussion centered on ways to institutionalize a bottom-up candidate nomination system that would return nomination power, currently concentrated in party leadership, to ordinary members and the public.

"The question of whether I rejoin the party keeps coming up, tediously, every time," Han said at the forum. "And the reason for that ultimately comes down to the problem of party structure." Han added, "Regardless of who holds party leadership, if the people who can actually win elections are the ones getting nominated — for the party's sake and for the people's victory — then who joins the party or who holds the leadership really does not matter."


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