Ruling party's innovation committee mired in deadlock

Ihn Yo-han, chairman of the innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party, pays tribute to victims of a 1948 massacre on Jeju Island at Jeju 4.3 Peace Park , Tuesday. Yonhap

The innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) is struggling to carry out its mission to overhaul the conservative party after its reform proposals have faced stiff resistance by some of its political heavyweights.

Ihn Yo-han, the committee chairman, has been urging the party's mainstream members to leave their traditional strongholds, (North and South Gyeongsang provinces), and run in the opposition-dominated areas of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in the upcoming general elections.

Although the committee did not make this into an official proposal, Ihn's demand for party heavyweights to make "sacrifices" has drawn a backlash from them.

Rep. Chang Je-won, a three-term PPP lawmaker representing a district in Busan, said he will not leave his home turf.

“They are telling me to go to Seoul. But I will not head to Seoul to carry on my modest political career,” he said during a gathering with his supporters in Busan, Saturday.

Rep. Joo Ho-young, a seasoned lawmaker who has won his parliamentary seat in Daegu in five consecutive elections since 2004, also made it clear that he will not leave the region.

“My political career began in Daegu, and it should end here. I am not going to Seoul,” he said during a briefing session in Daegu's Suseong District, Nov. 8.

Ihn Yo-han, left, chairman of the innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), speaks with Rep. Joo Ho-young of the PPP during a prayer breakfast at a hotel in Seoul, Oct. 31. Yonhap

Making things worse for Ihn’s committee is former PPP chairman Lee Jun-seok’s push to create a breakaway party.

The move is expected to bring divisions within the PPP, undermining Ihn’s ongoing attempt to patch things up with the former chairman in a show of reconciliation and unity among party members.

Lee, who has been butting heads with the PPP leadership since his membership got suspended in April last year, said in recent interviews that he is considering creating his own party, even setting a Dec. 27 deadline to finish his preparations.

The committee's drive to overhaul the party has been losing steam recently and its members have reportedly discussed wrapping up their mission earlier than scheduled. The 13-member reform team was launched in late October and is scheduled to disband on Dec. 24.

But Kim Kyung-jin, a member of the innovation team, refuted such claims.

"At this point, there have been no specific discussions about ending our activities, nor were there any agreements related to such a matter," he said in a statement, Tuesday.

Ihn also strongly refuted such a possibility.

"Such discussions did not take place, and it will not happen in the future either," he told reporters after a meeting with PPP members at a party's office on Jeju Island, also on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Ihn visited the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park and paid tribute to the victims of the Jeju Uprising and Massacre which began on April 3, 1948. The visit appears aimed at showing the PPP's empathy with the public's sentiment.

Previously, Rep. Tae Young-ho of the PPP came under fire by claiming that former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung ordered the uprising.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the committee will be able to fulfill its role by the end of next month.

Political commentator Rhee Jong-hoon said that Ihn's team has so far failed to live up to its expectations.

“Under Ihn's leadership, the committee kicked off with high anticipations that it would bring big changes to the ruling party, but we haven’t seen any progress so far. None of the reform proposals made by the committee has been properly implemented,” he said.

In a worst-case scenario, the PPP’s innovation team could meet the same fate as a similar committee that was created within the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Rhee commented.

The DPK also launched an innovation committee earlier this year to rebuild its reputation following a slew of scandals. But it did not succeed in bringing major changes to the party after its reform proposals failed to garner wide support among party members.