Seoul Mayor Oh meets PPP lawmaker Yoon to discuss abolishing party leader system

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyeon on Tuesday to discuss internal party affairs.

Speaking to reporters after a breakfast meeting with Oh that morning, Yoon said he told the mayor that "the starting point for change and reform within the party must ultimately be the publication of a white paper on the local elections," adding that Oh "expressed deep agreement."

Leadership issues also appeared to be on the table. Oh had successfully defended his Seoul mayoral seat in the June 3 local elections by keeping his distance from party leader Jang Dong-hyeok. Yoon said he "raised various points about the leadership issue as well," noting that Oh "made no direct comment" but "expressed agreement with the idea that the party needs to change and reform further."

Yoon said Oh had previously called at the National Assembly for abolishing the party leader system. "Party reform has been something I have been continuously thinking about," Yoon said. "I told him I would share my thoughts on abolishing the party leader system, transforming the party into a floor-leader-centered organization, and institutionalizing public primaries within that framework." Oh had attended a People Power Party seminar at the National Assembly on July 24, where he argued the party does not need a leader and should instead compete on policy as a floor-centered party, saying it was "time for senior party figures to take responsibility."

Yoon said he has been voicing opinions on the proposed Agency for Serious Crimes Investigation, centrist voters and youth issues in the Greater Seoul area, and that Oh "appreciated those efforts." He added that he told Oh he would "create forums for dialogue with young people going forward." Yoon has strongly opposed establishing the agency, calling it "an abandonment of investigation and indictment and a regression of the justice system." Yoon said Oh told him "there are no Greater Seoul lawmakers speaking up on party reform and the serious crimes investigation agency issue" and asked him to "faithfully fulfill that role."

Meanwhile, Oh has been meeting with senior People Power Party lawmakers in a series of engagements aimed at strengthening his standing within the party. He held a dinner with five-term lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon on Sunday to exchange views on political issues, and on July 9 he dined with floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik and four-term lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo. He has also invited members of three National Assembly standing committees — the Land and Infrastructure Committee, the Public Administration and Security Committee, and the Gender Equality Committee — to his official residence for dinner.