Pro-Yoon faction struggles in PPP primary

Feb 13, 2023, 09:25 am

		0
President Yoon Suk-yeol talks with HD Hyundai Chairman Kwon Oh-gap at a ceremony marking the resumption of operations at a Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. shipyard in the southwestern city of Gunsan on Feb. 10./ Photo: Courtesy of the Presidential Office

AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae

The result of the preliminary round of the March 8 national convention of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) showed that those who are not Yoon loyalists did well while the so-called “pro-Yoon” faction struggled. As a result, President Yoon Suk-yeol could carry out personnel reshuffle earlier than expected. Amid growing criticism over the presidential office’s interference on the ruling party’s chairman election, political observers say that Yoon would speed up the personnel reshuffle to change the mood as the candidates who virtually claim to be “anti-Yoon” have passed the cut-off.

According to the cut-off results of the final candidates for an upcoming national convention to pick a new party leader and the party’s supreme council, those who emphasized their close relationship with President Yoon such as Park Sung-joong, Lee Man-hee, and Lee Yong were all eliminated while pro-Lee Jun-seok including Cheon Ha-ram, Heo Eun-ah, Kim Yong-tae, and Lee Ki-in have passed the cut-off.

Shin Pyeong, an attorney who is regarded as Yoon’s mentor, said, “The pro-Lee faction is coming like a dagger toward the heart of the ruling bloc. With lots of things happening, President Yoon seems to have no choice but to choose a paradigm of state administration that is different from before.”

“When the national convention ends, President Yoon may carry out reshuffling to match the new party system,” he said. “Furthermore, I hope that pro-Lee faction, which has made its presence clear as a realistic political force, will be given an opportunity to be selected and include them within the boundaries of state affairs as much as possible,” he suggested.

As the reshuffle of the cabinet and presidential aides, originally expected at the end of last year, has been delayed, there was a prospect that the reshuffle would take place in the middle of this year. However, there is a growing need for reorganization to change the mood as an unusual atmosphere is being detected, such as the pro-Lee faction taking an active role in the national convention. It is difficult to predict the possibility that pro-Lee or non-Yoon faction will be appointed as advised by Attorney Shin, but it seems that a consensus has been created within the presidential office that it is necessary to refresh the atmosphere.

An official in the presidential office said that “appointment is the president’s own authority” but said, “Considering the current situation of the ruling party’s national convention and the fact that next year’s general election is coming, personnel changes seem inevitable.”

Besides, the personnel reform may speed up since Yoon has been recently pointing out the apathetic attitude of the public offices, calling for the need for governmental reform. The Public Officer Investigation Team, which was recently established under the Office of the Secretary of State for Public Service in the President’s Office, is investigating a case involving the Korea Communications Commission’s poor verification in the process of choosing EBS chairman Yoo Si-chun.

#People Power Party #national convention #pro-Yoon #Lee Jun-seok #reshuffle