Ruling party's innovation committee off to rocky start

Ihn Yo-han, chairman of the innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during its meeting at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) is experiencing a bumpy start after its proposal to reinstate membership of disgraced party members was met with criticism from within and outside the party.

Led by naturalized Korean physician Ihn Yo-han, the committee was launched Thursday to reinvent the conservative party ahead of the general elections slated for April 2024. The 13-member committee will operate for 60 days through Dec. 24, during which it will offer various proposals including nomination rules for the general elections.

The first official proposal made by the committee on Friday was to lift membership suspensions imposed on former party leader Lee Jun-seok and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, in what is viewed as a move to embrace the two figures who have been at odds with the party leadership.

Lee was slapped with a six-month membership suspension over sexual bribery allegations in July, and another one-year suspension in October for his “toxic” remarks toward the party and President Yoon Suk Yeol. These measures have thwarted Lee from running in the upcoming general elections on the PPP's ticket.

Hong, a five-term lawmaker, had his membership suspended for 10 months in July shortly after he was surrounded by controversies for golfing while his region was devastated by heavy rains and flooding.

Both Lee and Hong reacted furiously to the innovation committee's so-called "grand amnesty" proposal.

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Oct. 16. Yonhap

Hong wrote on Facebook, Friday, that he had done nothing wrong and thus there is absolutely no reason for the party to grant him amnesty. The mayor went on to criticize the PPP, Sunday, saying that he has already parted ways with its leadership.

Lee also refused the committee's proposal.

"The role of the committee is to point out the past wrongdoings of the party and reflect on them. This kind of approach, which is just a forced generosity, will only worsen the situation," he wrote on Facebook, Friday.

Kim Hyung-joon, a professor at Pai Chai University and former president of the Korean Association of Electoral Studies, viewed that Ihn's committee should get its priorities straight in order to properly reform the party.

"What the public wants from the PPP are gestures that show it is listening sincerely to and reflecting public opinion, not discussions about whether to give second chances to its party members. The latter is absolutely not a decisive issue for the party's win in the elections," he said.

Kim pointed out a lack of sincerity coming from the innovation committee, which was formed in the aftermath of the PPP's crushing defeat in a recent by-election to pick the head of Seoul's Gangseo District.

Hong Hyeong-sik, a political analyst who runs Hangil Research, a pollster, commented that Ihn does not seem to fully understand the nature of Korean politics.

"The proposal for amnesty itself is an embarrassment for Lee Jun-seok. He has little reason to come back to the party at this point after all he went through before being kicked out," Hong said.

The analyst said the committee should focus more on its fundamental goal of tackling vested interests among conservative politicians, which he said is the main reason voters are turning their backs on the party.

Ihn, in his first few days as chairman, said experienced lawmakers of the PPP should consider leaving their traditional home ground in the Gyeongsang provincial region for the upcoming elections and run for constituencies in Seoul and its surrounding areas instead, thereby giving more chances to the party's young politicians. This idea, which Ihn said was purely his personal view, prompted backlash from some PPP members.

"I don't think that Ihn actually has the power to make these lawmakers leave their home turf given his weak influence in the conservative bloc," Hong of Hangil Research said. "I'm also skeptical of what the committee can do in the next couple of months to appeal to young voters."

Amid ongoing controversies, Ihn attended a ceremony in front of Seoul City Hall, Sunday, to commemorate the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush, in an apparent move to show understanding of the public sentiment accusing the government of its lack of response measures for the disaster that took 159 lives last year.

Yoon and the PPP leadership refused to participate in the ceremony, as they viewed the event ― hosted by opposition parties ― as politically charged. The opposition sides later decided not to co-host it, but the president did not show up.

"Ihn's attendance at the memorial ceremony did not carry big meaning because he didn't show up with the president or the party leader. Rather, his attendance alone shows that the committee is taking a different path from the party leadership," Kim said.