Following their defeat in the presidential election, the People Power Party, caught in turmoil over recovery measures, clashed this time over whether to hold a general assembly. People Power Party Chairperson Kim Yong-tae expressed his regret on the sudden cancellation of the assembly at 2 p.m. on the 11th and repeatedly requested that the assembly be held. The current floor leadership of the People Power Party abruptly canceled the assembly, citing the need for the next floor leader to lead discussions on Kim's future and the party reform proposals.

Kim Yong-tae, the chair of the People Power Party emergency response committee (left), and Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader, stand side by side at the ‘On-site General Meeting to Prevent Constitutional Destruction’ held in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Nov. 11. /Courtesy of News1

Chairperson Kim met with reporters after hearing about the cancellation of the assembly and said, "There was no prior notification to the chair of the emergency committee regarding the cancellation of the assembly." He added, "I feel very regretful about being informed through a notification message."

According to the People Power Party, discussions about the cancellation of the assembly began the night before, and the cancellation was announced around noon on the same day. During this process, it was indicated that there had been no prior discussion with Chairperson Kim.

Chairperson Kim added, "I earnestly request that we quickly hold the general assembly to hear the opinions of the lawmakers on each agenda item related to the party reform proposals and gather a consensus."

Chairperson Kim stated, "I don’t understand why the discussions on the reform proposals are being postponed. We lost the presidential election, and many lawmakers are trying to change, with a considerable number of re-elected lawmakers expressing their support for the reform proposals yesterday. It is regrettable that the assembly is being canceled and that the discussions will be postponed to the next leadership."

Previously, the People Power Party explained that it was a comprehensive decision considering the need to focus party resources on opposing the government, the potential for ongoing general assemblies to reflect internal party conflicts, and the necessity for the new floor leadership to continue the discussions on reform proposals.

Floor leader Park Hyung-soo noted, "If the assembly takes place, there will be ongoing exchanges of opinions regarding unresolved issues. Thus, we decided to cancel the afternoon assembly given the significant potential for it to come across as conflictual or contentious." He continued, "The current agenda items being discussed in the assembly are not issues that can be resolved promptly through a vote, and we deemed it appropriate for the new leadership to continue the discussions."

However, Floor leader Park stated, "If the requests are adequately prepared, it could be possible to hold the assembly."

According to the party constitution, a general assembly shall be convened by the floor leader when deemed necessary, upon the request of one-tenth of the total members, or at the request of the supreme council. If 11 or more members of the People Power Party request a general assembly, the criteria for convening the assembly will be met.

As the general assembly was suddenly canceled, Chairperson Kim and several lawmakers also requested its convening. People Power Party lawmaker Kim So-hee said, "Considering the announcement of statements by re-elected lawmakers yesterday and the gathering of opinions from local chapter chairpersons, I believe it is essential to have time today at the general assembly to consolidate lawmakers' consensus on the chairperson's reform proposals," and asked for the assembly to be held.