'Let's all resign,' PPP members clash openly over party leader Jang's future

Intraparty conflict over the future of People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok has intensified following the election of Jeong Jeom-sik as the party's new floor leader. Open clashes erupted at a supreme council meeting, and junior lawmakers have since joined the chorus calling for Jang to step down.

Attention is now turning to what solution Jeong — widely seen as the key power broker in the party — will put forward. His decision is expected to shape both the timing of any early party convention and the field of contenders for the next party leadership race.

At the PPP supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly on Thursday, a public confrontation broke out over Jang's future. Supreme council member Woo Jae-jun, speaking directly in front of Jang, said the party leader should "run again at a party convention and be evaluated," adding that doing so would allow dissatisfied party members to accept the outcome and reunite. Woo then formally proposed that "all of us resign" from the leadership.

Supreme council member Cho Gwang-han pushed back, saying it was "politically very immature to say such childish things in public." The argument reportedly continued at a subsequent closed-door session of the council, with the two exchanging heated words.

Under PPP rules, holding a party convention requires the leadership to be vacated and an emergency committee to be formed. That threshold is met only when four elected supreme council members resign, making it a question of whether anyone beyond Woo will follow suit.

Alternative and Future, a grouping of junior PPP lawmakers, issued a formal statement Thursday declaring that "Jang Dong-hyeok must resign." Rep. Lee Seong-gwon, the group's secretary, held a press conference at the National Assembly and said the PPP "suffered a crushing defeat in the June 3 local elections," arguing that "Jang Dong-hyeok's leadership has collapsed, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Jang Dong-hyeok leadership." The group also called on floor leader Jeong to convene a general assembly of lawmakers to resolve the matter.

The question of Jang's future has effectively landed in Jeong's hands. Speaking Wednesday after winning the floor leadership race, Jeong said the issue should be resolved "by gathering the collective will of lawmakers and applying collective wisdom." He is expected to pursue a consensus-building approach rather than any forcible removal.

Should Jang fail to serve out his term and resign, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon is widely seen as the leading candidate for the next party leadership. That assessment is reinforced by the outcome of Wednesday's floor leader runoff vote.

Rep. Kim Do-eup, aligned with the reform wing, lost to Jeong — who is associated with the pro-Yoon faction — by just seven votes. The result revealed that pro-Yoon cohesion is not as strong as expected, and that anti-Jang sentiment within the party runs deep.

Han would first need to rejoin the PPP before he could run for party leader at a convention. Jeong said on this point that "it is not yet the stage for internal party discussion," signaling a cautious stance. Han's political future, too, is in effect in Jeong's hands.

Within and outside the party, many say Han's return is only "a matter of time." Rep. Cho Gyeong-tae said on KBS Radio on Thursday that rejoining "is simply the natural thing to do," while Rep. Kim Jae-seop told YTN that he believes the party will "definitely go into the general election as a team with Rep. Han."

Meanwhile, Jeong moved Thursday to begin assembling his floor leadership team, appointing two-term Rep. Kim Seung-su of Daegu's Buk-eul district as chief deputy floor leader for operations.