The aftershock of the election defeat is engulfing the People Power Party. After relinquishing power for the first time in three years and devolving into a minor party, the People Power Party is witnessing a standoff between hardliners demanding the total resignation of the leadership and the party's mainstream, which insists that "now is the time to confront the ruling party." The general assembly scheduled for the 5th is expected to be a critical juncture in determining the direction of the party's renewal.

On October 4, Kim Moon-soo, the former presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is bowing during his remarks at the closing ceremony of the 21st presidential election People Power Party Central Election Countermeasure Committee held at the party's central headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

Amid the shock of the election defeat, despite a consensus within the party on the need for renewal, diverse voices are emerging regarding leadership accountability and the direction of that renewal.

In particular, members of the party's younger faction, the "pro-Han Dong-hoon faction," pointed out that the party has failed to break away from the frames of "supporting martial law" or "opposing impeachment," which has led to a loss of support from moderates. They are increasingly vocal about the need for a renewal at the level of party leadership, led by Kweon Seong-dong, who guided the party during the impeachment period.

Han Dong-hoon, the former leader who faced off against former presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo in the primary, stated on Facebook that "the public has given a firm exit order regarding 'unlawful martial law' and 'the antiquated politics that supported unlawful martial law.'" He called it "the last opportunity to completely dismantle antiquated politics and establish a citizen-first politics."

Following Han, it was noted that "we need to quickly form a new legislative leadership and chart our party's course" (Park Jeong-hoon). "The first step of renewal is the resignation of the pro-Yoon leadership, including Kweon Seong-dong" (Jeong Yeon-wook). "The current leadership, which bowed to power and ignored public sentiment, must resign without delay" (Han Ji-a) - demands from the pro-Han faction continued.

On the other hand, a voice centered around the party's mainstream is gaining strength, emphasizing the priority of countering the large ruling party. They argue that in order to check the ruling party's dominance, it is crucial to first reorganize and unite their ranks.

During the campaign committee disbandment ceremony that day, Kweon Seong-dong stated, "While there may have been several failures in this presidential election, I believe our party must restore a sense of community," adding, "We must fight against the enemy, and the appearance of fighting internally must absolutely disappear."

Representative Na Kyung-won remarked, "The Democratic Party's unilateral domination will continue amidst the party's changes," stating, "We must desperately fulfill our role as an opposition party. I believe that strengthening the party's identity and combat effectiveness is also necessary."

They are advocating for a gradual reorganization of the party's internal ranks rather than an immediate resignation of the current leadership, followed by the establishment of new leadership through a national convention.

The 5th general assembly is likely to see these positions collide head-on.

Currently, three major scenarios for reorganizing the leadership regime are being discussed within the party: electing a new legislative leader and restructuring the emergency committee based on that, retaining Kweon Seong-dong as the leader while appointing a new emergency committee chairperson, and maintaining the current emergency committee structure under the reappointment of the current chairperson.

Particularly, it is predicted that the timing of the national convention to elect the next party leader will influence the power dynamics of the party. Those calling for a strong renewal of the party believe that new leadership must be quickly established when accountability for the leadership becomes a focal point, while the party's mainstream aims to delay the national convention with this in mind.

As a trend emerges emphasizing a realistic direction for renewal rather than a hardline stance, all eyes are on how the leadership will respond.

On October 4, Kim Yong-tae, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the closing ceremony of the central election campaign committee held at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

First, Commissioner Kim Yong-tae plans to push for the 'nullification of the party's opposition to impeachment against former President Yoon Suk-yeol' as part of the renewal efforts. Earlier, Kim proposed this during the last phase of the campaign, but it faced backlash within the party and could not be carried out. He told reporters that day, "As part of the banner of reform, I will continue to push for (the nullification of the party's opposition to impeachment)."

There are also predictions that the first general assembly after the presidential election will end 'empty-handed.' A reform-minded freshman lawmaker said, "I don't expect this assembly to accept the call for leadership resignations. There will likely only be talk of 'our shared responsibility' but no one taking responsibility," adding, "Even if it doesn't happen, we must continue to confront it."