PPP policy chief accedes to new party chief's call for old guard to leave leadership

The policy chief of the People Power Party, Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, has acquiesced to a call by new party chief Han Dong-hoon for party bigwigs to resign.

People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, left, and PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho speak inside the main chamber of the National Assembly on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The policy chief of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) offered his resignation on Thursday after initially stonewalling newly elected leader Han Dong-hoon's call for party bigwigs to resign from the leadership roles.

Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, who had refused to answer questions about his position earlier in the week, said he would step down a day after Han publicly asked for the resignations of all high-ranking PPP officials who owed their posts to the previous party leader.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly, Jeong said he had decided to step down “to forestall divisions within the party” and that he had discussed his resignation with floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho before making the announcement.

Han issued his call for resignations by the party’s old guard on Wednesday, a day after he held a 90-minute discussion with President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The timing of his announcement thus led observers to believe that Yoon had agreed with Han’s decision.

The pair, whose relationship came under strain earlier in the year, have made official appearances together since Han won the PPP leadership last week, which observers have interpreted as signs that they are working to mend fences.

According to domestic media reports, the pair’s relationship suffered a rift after Han declined to defend first lady Kim Keon Hee against accusations of influence-peddling and approved candidates for the PPP’s parliamentary slate without consulting with Yoon.

Observers have suggested that Han was trying to distance himself and the PPP from Yoon in the lead up to the election to avoid being dragged down by the president, who has suffered low approval ratings since taking office two years ago.

Like the president, Han served in the state prosecution service before being appointed as Yoon’s first justice minister in May 2022. He quit that post to serve as the PPP’s interim leader in December of last year but stepped down immediately after the party’s parliamentary minority shrank even further after the April general election.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]