PPP takes cautious stance on the nomination of the emergency committee leader

Yoon Jae-ok, acting leader of the Grand National Party of Korea, enters the Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Nov. 18. By Park Min-kyu Senior Reporter

"We are not at the stage of deciding on a specific person and announcing it," said Yun Jae-ok, the floor leader and the acting leader of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) in reference to the appointment of the new party leader on December 18. He added, "I think we need a process of opinion gathering comparable to a party convention." A party convention to elect a leader of the PPP is held by voting by an electoral college composed of party members, who have rights to vote on party affairs, meaning that the party will take steps to collect the opinions of party members.

"In the past, a former leader of an emergency committee was appointed by an acting leader and elected through vote by the party’s national committee, but, this time, a new leader of an emergency committee has great authority and heavy responsibility to take charge of the nomination and the entire process of the upcoming general election, so we will carefully and wisely choose the most suitable candidate for the leader,” Yun said in an interview on TV Chosun. "We need to listen to the opinions of party members, including senior members," he added.

Yun's cautious stance seems to come from the fact that there was no public opinion fully in favor of the nomination of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon as a party leader in several meetings of the party last week. "Of course, many party members talked about Han," Yun said. "We have gone through an important decision-making process, but there is a little more process left necessary for collecting opinions of party members."

Regarding the report that "Minister Han has no reason to join the PPP as well as its emergency committee if the party members and supporters do not want him to," Yun said, quoting a ruling party official, “First of all, I haven't talked about this issue with Han, so it's difficult to say something about it based on unconfirmed information." He also added, “I haven’t confirmed the intentions of people who have been named as a candidate."
Yun said, "There is a practical problem that we have to deliberate on the budget bill as it should be agreed upon by December 20,” adding, "We will make a decision as early as possible in consideration of various circumstances."

Regarding the criticism that the vertical relationship between the government and the party is a problem, Yun explained, "President Yoon Suk-yeol is communicating with lawmakers better than any president in history.” He also emphasized, "But if some say there is a problem of the vertical relationship, I think a leader of the emergency committee should do his or her best to dispel people’s worries about such a relationship, regardless of who takes up the post.”

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