On the 11th, lawmakers from the Han Dong-hoon faction urged the resignation of People Power Party emergency committee chair Kwon Young-se and the party’s floor leadership following the defeat of the proposal to replace the presidential candidate, led by the People Power Party leadership.
Six-term lawmaker Jo Kyoung-tae and 15 others from the Han Dong-hoon faction issued a statement that day, noting that the proposal to replace the presidential candidate was voted down in the party-wide vote.
They noted, “In the end, the party members prevented it. The unilateral replacement of the party's presidential candidate by the temporary organization, the emergency committee, in the early hours of the day was a clearly flawed decision with procedural defects,” adding, “The defeat of the committee’s candidate replacement decision against the party members' opposition is a significant conclusion showing the common sense of our party is still alive.”
They continued, “It was politically difficult for the un-elected temporary organization, the emergency committee, to gain legitimacy by replacing the candidate. I believe this was also demonstrated through the party members' vote.”
They stated, “Now, our party must quickly reorganize and focus on the presidential election approaching on the 24th,” raising accountability issues regarding the leadership.
They said, “The emergency committee caused great disappointment and harm to the party members and supporters due to its unreasonable decision, and above all, it created a major adverse factor for the presidential election. This responsibility cannot be justified by any excuse,” and emphasized, “The resignation of Kwon Young-se alone is not enough to meet that responsibility. We urge the concurrent resignation of Kweon Seong-dong and the floor leadership, who have been deeply involved in this situation.”
They urged, “Through these measures, we strongly call for the restoration of the disrupted democratic order within the party and the rebuilding of a platform to achieve victory in the upcoming presidential election on the 24th.”
The statement included the names of 16 lawmakers including Jo, three-term lawmakers Song Seok-jun and Kim Seong-won, two-term lawmakers Seo Beom-soo, Park Jeong-ha, Kim Hyeong-dong, Bae Hyeon-jin, Kim Yae-ji, Go Dong-jin, Jeong Yeon-wook, Park Jeong-hun, Jeong Seong-guk, Woo Jae-jun, Ahn Sang-hoon, Han Ji-a, and Jin Jong-o.