PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon steps down amid mounting pressure

The leader of ruling People's Power Party Kim Gi-hyeon resigned from his position on December 13. He made the decision a day after the announcement of lawmaker and PPP member Jang Je-won, who is a key member of the pro-Yoon Suk-yeol faction, not running in the general election.

"As of today, I step down from the PPP leader," Kim said in a message on social media. "Although many people persuaded me not to do so, the success of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and the victory of the PPP in the general election are so urgent orders of history and times that I want to fulfill my responsibilities.”

Kim, who was a pro-Yoon candidate, was elected as the PPP leader at the party convention on March 8, which was held after former leader Lee Jun-seok stepped down from the position on disciplinary grounds last year. However, Kim had been criticized for his inherent limitations that prevented him from breaking out of the vertical relationship between the party and the government.

As a series of opinion polls showed the general election was heavily unfavorable to the PPP and Jang, a key member of President Yoon's side, announced that he would not run for office, there were lots of calls for Kim’s resignation within the party. In response, Kim apparently chose to leave his position and keep his office in his constituency in the southern part of Ulsan.

PPP’s Supreme Council member Kim Ye-ji, Chairman of the Policy Committee Yoo Eui-dong, and senior spokesperson Park Jung-ha, who were appointed by Kim, also expressed their resignation, but PPP’s floor leader Yun Jae-ok is expected to reject it.

Some in the ruling party say that President Yoon apparently delivered a message to Kim and Jang that they should sacrifice for the party before leaving for the Netherlands, which means that Kim's resignation was also influenced by Yoon.

The PPP is expected to launch a nomination committee and an election campaign committee after making a transition to an emergency leadership committee system which will be led by the floor leader. The launch of a committee, which will set nomination rules, is likely to be postponed from the middle of this month to next month.

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