PPP’s innovation committee led by Ihn Yo-han wraps up its activity early

Innovation Commissioner In Yo-han ponders during a meeting of the Innovation Commission at the People\'s Power Party in Yeouido, Seoul, on Sunday. Yonhap

The ruling People Power Party’s innovation committee, led by Chairman Ihn Yo-han, announced the end of its activities on December 7. After more than a month of calls for the party leadership, senior party members, and presidential aides to run for office, the committee is closing its doors about two weeks earlier than scheduled with poor results that no one accepted. Some pointed out that the committee missed the golden hours for innovation and only to increase the influence of Kim Gi-hyeon, the PPP's leader, in the party.

“In effect, the committee will wrap up the activities with today’s meeting,” Ihn said after the committee meeting in Yeouido. The committee will end its activities on December 11 after reporting a comprehensive innovation plan to the party’s Supreme Council and publishing a white paper.

"We achieved a 50% success as we succeeded in understanding what people want from their perspective. We will leave the remaining 50% to the party and wait and see t how it will do with anticipation," Ihn said. “Above all, I want to thank President Yoon Suk-yeol.” He added that "Yoon created an opportunity for good candidates to run for the election as he carried out the cabinet reshuffle early before the innovation committee was dismantled.”

The Innovation Committee was launched on October 26 with a two-month period of activity, reflecting calls for reform within the party after the crushing defeat in the by-election for the head of the Gangseo District Office in Seoul. Ihn has been recognized for his endeavors for integration. He visited the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju and attended the memorial ceremony for the first anniversary of the Itaewon crowd disaster where President Yoon and the party’s leader Kim were absent.

He met former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and praised him as a "gentleman" and went to Busan to meet former PPP’s leader Lee Jun-seok who blamed him by calling his English name "Mr. Linton.”

However, it was not easy for him to make the party accept his innovation plans. The party leadership accepted the first plan, which calls for lifting disciplinary action against Lee Jun-seok and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, but Lee and Kim were displeased about it. The key purpose of the plans was to recommend party leadership, senior members, and presidential aides to run for office, but the innovation plans started to go wrong as no one accepted them. Ihn continued to pressure party members to follow his innovation plans but to no avail. The Innovation Committee voted on the recommendation as an official innovation proposal, but it was not even reported to the Supreme Council on the 4th.

In the meantime, some members of the innovation committee resigned and returned, which caused confusion. Ihn also came under fire for several remarks about Yoon and Lee.

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo said on his social media account that "Ihn left after putting on a comedy show," adding, "He threw a message of hope to party members and people by suggesting the direction of our party's transformation, but was frustrated by the vested interest cartel." Party member and lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said, "The transformation has failed”, adding, "I and Ihn proposed a treatment to the leadership but the patient rejected it.”

Some analysts say that the Innovation Committee helped party’s leader Kim to maintain his power in the party until the launch of a Public Official Committee and the recruitment of new members. A party member said, "While the two people were enjoying political gains, the golden hours for innovation have passed.” That is, Kim and Ihn were in hostile symbiosis.

Some also pointed out that Ihn’s innovation efforts failed because he did not make use of Yoon. He kept puting Yoon aside from the target of innovation. Former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook appeared on the YouTube channel of Channel A News and said, "We should cut off the existing mistakes, such as a top-down leadership between the president and the party. But Ihn was a person who would not say things that the president or the party leader does not like." In a meeting with young party members in Jeju Island, former party leader Lee said, "The president's way of governance has to change, and no one says it in the party even at this point where Ihn ends his activities with the innovation committee.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.