Seong Il-jong open to local election re-run proposal amid PPP floor leader race

By Jung Seok-jun, The Herald Business

People Power Party lawmaker Seong Il-jong, a candidate for the party's floor leader post, said Tuesday that all options must remain open in response to PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok's call for a re-run of the local elections. "It is hard to know what will happen going forward," Seong said. "So we have to keep all possibilities on the table."

Speaking on KBS Radio that day, Seong said the proposal appeared to reflect the party leader's own judgment rather than a consensus reached through a general assembly of lawmakers.

He added that the party's official position would take shape over time as the situation develops. "There will come a point — through a parliamentary investigation or a special prosecutor probe — when we have enough information to judge whether things have stopped spreading further," he said. "At that point, we can make a decision after consulting experts, legal professionals and weighing the political considerations."

On the question of whether Jang should step down, Seong said the party must first assess what role, if any, the central party leadership played in the local elections. "Looking at all of that, I believe leaders must decide well when the right time is to stay or go," he said.

On the possible return of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon to the party, Seong said there was no need to rush. "We are family, and we are on the same right-wing platform," he said. "We cannot simply split that apart."

Outlining his vision as floor leader, Seong said the party must reclaim its identity as a clear-cut opposition force and push for internal reform. "We need to revamp organizations like the youth and women's wings, inject new energy into them and make them work — so we are ready for elections," he said. "A political party exists to win elections."

Seong also called for a parliamentary investigation and a special prosecutor probe into the local elections without delay. "It is unthinkable that state institutions funded by taxpayers' money should lose public trust," he said. "To restore that trust, we must launch a parliamentary inquiry, accept a special prosecutor unconditionally and move fast. If I become floor leader, that is the first thing I will bring to the negotiating table — and there is no reason for those negotiations to drag on."