Kim Gi-hyeon Elected New Leader of Ruling Party: Yoon’s Intention Takes over Party Allegiance

Kim Gi-hyeon of People Power Party is cheering after being elected as the PPP leader at the third national convention on March 8 at the KINTEX Exhibition Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Bak Min-gyu, Senior Reporter

Kim Gi-hyeon was elected as the leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) at PPP’s first national convention since the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yol administration. The party members wanted their new leader to be on good terms with President Yoon. A majority vote was given to Kim, who was elected without the final voting process. As the Yoon Administration enters its second year, Kim is now responsible for leading the national agenda with the government and driving the party to victory in the 2024 general election. All the five new Supreme Council members elected on this occasion are also pro-Yoon. PPP now has a system of ‘the united party and government’ as President Yoon always wanted.

Kim won 52.93% of the vote (244,163 out of 461,313 ballots) at the national convention held at the KINTEXT Exhibition Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The PPP has introduced a two-round voting system for the first time this year, but there will be no run-off since Kim won the majority ballots. Eight months have passed since the emergency committee was launched, and the PPP finally has formal leadership.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo won 23.37% of the votes (107,803), becoming a second runner, falling behind by nearly 30%. The third runner Chun Ha-ram, an attorney, won 14.98% of the votes (69,122), and the fourth runner and former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, 8.72% (40,225).

The decisive force behind Kim’s election was the party members’ intention, who didn’t want the new ruling party leader to go against the president as Lee Jun-seok did. The voting was 100% done by paying party members, which also worked favorably for Kim.

The national convention recorded the highest voting rate ever (55.10%). Kim, chosen by more than 240,000 party members, is expected to have good momentum in his next steps. Since Kim has highlighted working in harmony with President Yoon, there will be very little difference between the party and the government. His challenges now include embracing the non-mainstream members within the PPP, handling potential intervention of the President’s Office in the nomination for the general election, preventing potential controversies over Yoonhaekgwan (President Yoon’s key aides), and the cooperative governance with the opposite party.

In the acceptance speech, Kim said, “I will work in concert with party members, improve people’s lives, and win the next year’s general election no matter what. Let’s become one and make a clean sweep in next year’s general election.”

The new Supreme Council members are Kim Jae-won, Kim Byung-min, Cho Su-jin, and Tae Yong-ho (in the order of votes won). Jang Ye-chan won a seat given to younger politicians aged under 45. President Yoon attended the national convention and said, “You should never abuse the crises of our country and our party as your political opportunity.” It has been seven years since an incumbent president joined the national convention. The last attendance was in 2016 by former President Park Geun-hye.

Ahn Ho-young, the Democratic Party senior spokesperson, said, “The PPP election is smeared with the president’s intervention in party affairs and the suspicion of unethical, speculative land trade, and it is hard to congratulate Rep. Kim for winning. As of today, the PPP’s party democracy has died completely.”