Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Conservative party faces deepening crisis after election defeat
Rep. Kim Yong-tae, interim leader of the opposition People Power Party, attends a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Just two days after its decisive defeat in the presidential election, Korea's conservative People Power Party — now in opposition — has plunged into internal turmoil, marked by the resignation of its senior leaders and deepening ideological fissures within its ranks.
This swift descent into disarray is casting doubt on the party's ability to effectively serve as a check on the newly elected government. A fractured and leaderless opposition could weaken the vital function of parliamentary oversight and hinder efforts to address the nation's pressing challenges — potentially reshaping the political landscape for years to come.
The gravity of the party's postelection unraveling was quickly acknowledged by its own senior members.
“As floor leader, I bear a significant share of the blame. I have no intention of avoiding that responsibility or making excuses,” Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, a veteran politician and close ally of former President Yoon Suk Yeol — who was impeached after declaring martial law late last year — said during a party meeting at the National Assembly.
He stressed that the election defeat is “a strict judgment on the three-year failure of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.”
“We must start from scratch to rebuild the conservative bloc. I will start by stepping down as floor leader,” he said.
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the People Power Party announces his resignation as a floor leader during the party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
During the free discussion at the meeting, some lawmakers reportedly called for “desperate self-reflection” from the party's leadership.
Reps. Kim Sang-hoon, Lim Lee-ja and Choi Bo-yun also submitted their resignations from their respective leadership posts.
Rep. Kim Yong-tae, chairman of the party’s emergency committee, expressed his intention to resign as well, but most participants opposed it. Kim plans to gather opinions from party members until his term ends at the end of the month before deciding his next steps.
Meanwhile, the party agreed to maintain its opposition to three major special counsel probe bills that the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) aims to pass later that afternoon.
The bills call for appointing a special counsel to investigate Yoon’s insurrection charges related to his martial law declaration, former first lady Kim Keon Hee’s alleged stock price manipulation and election interference through a power broker and the government’s suspected interference in the military investigation into the death of a Marine during a search-and-rescue mission following heavy downpours in July 2023.
Lawmakers attend the plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, with most of the People Power Party lawmakers walking out of the room. Yonhap
The decision follows internal discord between pro-Yoon and pro-Han factions. Around 20 lawmakers — mainly those aligned with former party leader Han Dong-hoon and distancing themselves from the ousted president — argued for abandoning the party line and voting independently.
However, the party's constitution requires the approval of at least 72 out of 108 registered members — more than two-thirds — to change the party line, so the proposal was rejected.
“There seems to be many lawmakers who cannot properly analyze the cause of the election defeat,” Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, a pro-Han figure, told reporters after the meeting. “I hope they (who agreed to the party line) deeply reflect on why we lost the presidential election.”
Rep. Kim Jae-sup said, “If we oppose the DPK-led bills, it will be like protecting the former president,” adding that the party “should end its relationship with Yoon.”
The ruling party, which holds a majority in the Assembly, held a plenary session and passed the bills previously vetoed by Yoon.