The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is expected to decide who should take over as interim party leader ahead of April’s general elections after a key party meeting Monday, with a focus on whether Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon should take the helm.
The PPP was set to hold a joint meeting of the party’s lawmakers and electoral district chiefs Monday afternoon to discuss who should be the party’s new emergency leader after former leader Kim Gi-hyeon resigned under pressure to step down as part of reform efforts.
The PPP floor leader, Rep. Yun Jae-ok, who is serving as acting party chief, is expected to make a decision after listening to various opinions during Monday’s meeting. A final decision is expected to be made sometime around Monday next week.
Mainstream party members closely aligned with President Yoon Suk Yeol have called for bringing in the justice minister as the leader, saying his strong public presence could move the party’s image in a positive direction.
Han’s close ties with Yoon could also help improve the party’s relationship with the presidential office, they said.
“(The PPP) will not be able to salvage this precious opportunity if it appoints the emergency leadership committee head according to the traditional playbook,” said Jang Ye-chan, a senior member of the PPP, in a radio interview. “We can turn this misfortune to our advantage only if we choose the radical change that people and party members want.”
On the other hand, non-mainstream members have opposed naming a political novice like Han to a position that can determine the fate of the party in the parliamentary elections. They also say Han’s career as a prosecutor and his close ties with Yoon could worsen the party’s image, already deemed by some as too obedient to the Yoon administration.
“Bringing in another prosecutor as the chief of the emergency leadership committee is not a good look for the parliamentary elections. I am also concerned whether a person without any election experience could effectively oversee one,” said Rep. Lee Yong-ho in a radio interview.
Taking aim at such concerns, the main opposition Democratic Party has said that appointing Han is like bringing “Yoon’s avatar” to the elections.
With this backdrop, the justice minister reportedly canceled all public events for Monday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency