PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon resigns in Facebook post

People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon announced his resignation on Facebook, taking responsibility for the party's current predicaments and urging reorganization under floor leader Yun Jae-ok.

People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon at the Seoul Air Base in Gyeonggi, on Monday to see President Yoon Suk Yeol depart for the Netherlands. [YONHAP]

In a surprise move, People Power Party (PPP) leader Kim Gi-hyeon announced his resignation in a Facebook post Wednesday.

“I devoted myself wholeheartedly to the heavy responsibility of normalizing the country and ensuring the success, not only of the party, but also of the Yoon Suk Yeol government,” Kim said. “I apologize for having to relinquish my responsibility before completing my duties.”

Kim added that he, as a leader, takes responsibility for the party's current predicament.

“It is solely my burden to accept all criticism that follows,” Kim expressed. “The party should no longer be divided because of my actions.”

The PPP leader urged the party to undergo reorganization under the leadership of floor leader Yun Jae-ok with the aim of securing victory in next year’s parliamentary election, which is just 119 days away.

Kim emphasized that his resignation is a sacrifice in order to facilitate the party's swift recovery and prevent the rival Democratic Party (DP) from gaining control of the National Assembly as it did in 2020.

“As a party member, I will contribute to the party's success in next year's election,” Kim said. “I urge everyone to support the PPP and the Yoon government.”

Kim's surprise resignation follows PPP heavyweight Chang Je-won's Tuesday announcement that he will not run in the next general election. Kim has maintained a low profile since that day.

Chang is considered an influential figure in the PPP, notably due to the fact that he served as secretary during President Yoon's candidacy, although he has not been seen with the president since his inauguration.

PPP heavyweights, particularly those from the pro-Yoon faction and strong conservative constituencies like the Gyeongsang provinces, are facing heavy pressure to make sacrifices.

The dissolved innovation committee — which was led by Ihn Yo-han, a naturalized Korean citizen and medical school professor at Yonsei University — had been pressing for major overhauls within the party to rebuild public trust.

Such pressures left party members with the choice of abandoning their election bids or running in constituencies strongly supportive of the rival DP.

Both Kim, a four-term lawmaker from Ulsan, and Chang, a three-term lawmaker from Busan, have opted for the former path.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]