Ruling party chief faces growing pressure to resign amid internal feud

Ruling People Power Party Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon attends the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Ruling People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon is facing growing pressure to step down from his post amid a grim outlook for the party’s performance in next year’s general elections due to resistance by key members to accept drastic reforms proposed by an innovation committee.

The innovation committee, launched on Oct. 26 and scheduled to run until Dec. 24, disbanded on Monday after delivering a number of reform recommendations to the party’s Supreme Council.

“The innovation committee proposed matters that should never be underestimated,” Kim said during the Supreme Council meeting. “All of our party members, including me, will give up all vested rights that do not meet the public's standards.”

Kim expressed gratitude to the committee, but said, “There are agendas which are difficult to apply to real politics.”

The agenda Kim particularly contested appears to be the innovation committee’s recommendation that senior members and heavyweights, including the party chief, give up their bids for reelection or run in more competitive electoral districts in the upcoming elections. Kim and committee head Ihn Yo-han had been butting heads over that issue.

Following a defeat in a mayoral by-election in a Seoul district in October, the ruling party chairman gave the innovation committee full authority to revamp the party. However, when the committee demanded mainstream lawmakers to make sacrifices, Kim refused to give answers, while criticizing what he called “rough comments” Ihn made by mentioning President Yoon Suk Yeol in party affairs.

On Nov. 25, Kim held a policy reporting session in his constituency of Ulsan, where he hinted at his reelection bid. At the event, Kim stressed he will stay committed to “fulfilling his mission entrusted by Ulsan citizens” and highlighted his close relationship with the president and how they often have frank conversations.

People Power Party innovation committee chief Ihn Yo-han attends the committee's plenary meeting at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Dec. 7. Yonhap

Against this backdrop, the ruling party is struggling to boost public support, which is hovering below 40 percent.

In a poll by Realmeter released on Monday, the PPP’s support rate stood at 37.9 percent. Despite rising 4 percentage points from a week earlier, it was still trailing behind the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) which had a 43.7 percent support rate, down 0.1 percentage point during the same period.

In a Gallup Korea poll released on Friday, the PPP secured a 35 percent support rate compared to the DPK's 33 percent. But the survey also showed that 51 percent of respondents said opposition party candidates should gain more Assembly seats during the general elections. In contrast, only 35 percent of respondents said ruling party candidates should outnumber opposition lawmakers to support the government.

The Realmeter poll surveyed 2,509 adults from Dec. 4 to 8 for news outlet EKN, while the Gallup Korea poll surveyed 1,000 adults from Dec. 5 to 7. Further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission’s website.

Moreover, an internal PPP report revealed on Friday indicated that the party dominates only six out of 49 districts in Seoul in the general elections, fueling doubts over the chairman’s leadership.

People Power Party Rep. Ha Tae-keung holds a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Nov. 27. Yonhap

“Kim initially pledged to facilitate a 55 percent support rating for the party and a 60 percent approval rating for President Yoon,” PPP Rep. Ha Tae-keung wrote on Facebook Monday.

“However, the party’s status after Kim's 10-month leadership is devastating… The PPP is barely seeking 100 seats at the (300-seat) National Assembly, and its support rate is nosediving. And this is Kim’s responsibility. He turned the party into a zombie party, while taking away the scalpel brought by innovation committee chairman Ihn and expelling him from the operating room. And the consequence is the grim forecast of six seats in Seoul.”

PPP Rep. Suh Byung-soo also wrote on Facebook, “If the PPP sticks to its current behavior, it is obvious that the party will lose (in the general elections)” and “the failure of Ihn’s innovation committee is a prelude to the PPP’s election defeat.”

PPP Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo also wrote on Facebook that Kim and the party leadership should “suggest their plan for an election victory.”

While criticism is growing within the PPP’s fringe group members, the party’s mainstream faction claims that such criticism is nothing more than “shooting ourselves.”

PPP Rep. Park Dae-chul wrote on Facebook that “sacrifice should be a voluntary act rather than something imposed,” and “forced sacrifice does not touch the hearts of voters.”

Reportedly, PPP Rep. Kim Seung-su posted a message on a Telegram group chat among PPP lawmakers, “It is time to point our guns at the enemy.”

During a radio interview with broadcaster SBS, PPP spokesperson Rep. Park Chung-ha said, “Those who voiced criticisms should show their commitment to sacrifice themselves.”