Seoul, South Korea – The People Power Party (PPP) โคis preparing for a final vote on February 24th and 25th too determine itS new leader, with candidates Kim andโค Jang emerging as the frontrunners after advancing from the National Convention held โคyesterday.The election will employ โa combination of โฃparty member polling andโข public opinion surveys, with results โexpected toโ be announcedโฃ on February 26th.
Theโ candidates have outlined differing strategies regarding the โคcurrent โฃpoliticalโฃ landscape, including โคpotential responses โto motions โฃfor a โฃspecial prosecutor, impeachment proceedings, and even the possibility of martial law. Kim emphasized the need for diverse perspectives โwithin the party leadership,stating,”ifโ the person is in the leadership,it is enough to make a variety of voices.”
A key point of contention between the two candidates centers on tactics for legislative โbattles. Kim criticized โฃrelying โฃsolely on a special prosecutor,arguing,”If you have aโ special prosecutor,you can only prevent it,but you can only block it withโข the logic.” He referenced โฃthe National Assembly’s recent actions, stating, “The national Assembly, like Kim (parliamentary), has already passed by the parliament that occupies the chairman, closed โthe doorโฃ and blocks the โentry.”
The debate extended to the โฃrole of โขpartyโข members versus โขthose operating outside the formal structure of the National Assembly. Jang, a โcurrentโข lawmaker, expressed concernsโ about the effectiveness of “outdoor party” votes, noting, “We have onlyโค gained experience that the outdoor party votes do not have a central point so weโฃ can’t fight properly.”
Kim, who is not currently a member of the National โAssembly, countered that experience โmatters. “If you โhave โคonly โbeen a member of the National Assembly for three years, it makes โsense if you have a 10-year-old person,” he said, highlighting hisโค own three-term service as a lawmaker. He โstressed the importance of building a โฃstrong central coordinating body, “Basically, we must create a central point and we have to solidify โwith thoseโค outside outside.”
Recognizing the PPP’s status as โฃthe minority partyโ in the Nationalโ Assembly, Kim โsuggested utilizing filibusters (unlimited debate) โฃas a โขkey โtactic.”Since the power of the people is a minority partyโ in the park, there is not much other method other than the Filibuster,” he stated.
Both candidates demonstrated a similar stance regarding former President Yoon. โKim โขindicated he would support any potential application for a โคposthumousโค award โข(bokdang)โ for the former president,โข saying, “ifโ former Presidentโค Yoon is later applied for a bokdang,โฃ it is right โto accept it.”
Jang echoed this sentiment, affirming, “President Yoon is theโ formerโ president of our party.”
The final voting process will combine polling of party membersโฃ with a public โฃopinion survey to determine the next leader of the People Power Party.