Conservative People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Kweon Seong-dong on Sunday stressed that the PPP is still the ruling party, rejecting the rival Democratic Party's (DP) proposal to form a joint consultative governing body for stabilizing state affairs.
Rep. Kweon, a pro-Yoon figure, criticized what he called the DP's post-impeachment behavior of "pretending to be the ruling party.”
Despite Kweon’s promise to “manage politics responsibly as the ruling party,” the PPP’s leadership is on the verge of collapse, with Yoon’s impeachment fueling discontent and disbelief within the party.
While the party officially decided to vote against the motion, at least 12 votes endorsing impeachment appeared to have come from the conservative lawmakers. Specifically, 12 ballots remain after deducting 192 votes, presumably from liberal lawmakers, from the 204 ballots in favor of impeachment. Besides the seven PPP lawmakers who publicly stated they would vote to impeach Yoon, at least five others broke from the party’s official stance of voting against the motion.
This nonconformity within the party has led to a leadership crisis.
PPP leader Han Dong-hoon postponed his press conference at the last minute from 4 p.m. Sunday to 10:30 a.m. Monday. Local media reports speculated that Han would deliver his intent to resign despite his consistent vows to remain in his position.
On Saturday, all five elected supreme council members in the PPP -— Reps. Jang Dong-hyeok, Ihn Yo-han, Kim Meen-geon and Jin Jong-oh and council member Kim Jae-won — stated their intent to resign during a general party meeting convened after the parliament’s plenary session where Yoon’s impeachment was decided.
“What happened today is a result of the party’s internal division, which hampered the goal of uniting conservatives," Kim Jae-won said in a text message to reporters.
“None of the PPP lawmakers seated in the party’s leadership positions are free from responsibility, and I am immediately stepping down from the supreme council,” Kim said, noting its internal split appeared to "exonerate DP leader Lee Jae-myung."
The party’s governing provisions stipulate that the party creates an emergency steering committee if four or more Supreme Council members resign. Also, the party leader loses their authority and title upon establishing the emergency steering committee per the provisions.
Rep. Kim Dai-sik, the chief of staff for PPP floor leader Kweon, said he is ashamed of the disgrace and added that his party will discuss its leadership on Monday.
These remarks show that pro-Yoon figures still do not embrace the impeachment result, which some of their colleagues voted for.
PPP leader Han, who publicly urged Yoon's impeachment and suspending the president from duty, had said he wished to serve as the party leader after the impeachment.
“I, as leader of the ruling party, will protect the Constitution and democracy and correct wrongdoings,” Han said. He also stressed that the impeachment's passage was “inevitable” to normalize state affairs by suspending Yoon from his presidential duties, saying the effort was to minimize public inconvenience.
In the party’s general assembly session on Saturday, Han faced PPP lawmakers’ accusations that he was responsible for the impeachment. Also, some pro-Yoon lawmakers demanded that he resign.
According to a report from the JoongAng Ilbo, Han rejected the backlash against him by saying he was not the person who declared an emergency martial law, adding that he did not participate in the impeachment vote.
