PPP names temporary leadership, ousting Lee Jun-seok

Politics

Published: 16 Aug. 2022, 18:14

PPP names temporary leadership, ousting Lee Jun-seok

Rep. Joo Ho-young, second from right, interim leader of the People Power Party (PPP), announces the nine members of the PPP’s emergency steering committee during a meeting at the National Assembly in western Seoul Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A People Power Party (PPP) emergency steering committee took control of the party Tuesday, ending the leadership of suspended chairman Lee Jun-seok.

The PPP's standing national committee meeting endorsed nine members of an emergency steering committee established last week including interim leader Rep. Joo Ho-young.

The emergency steering committee includes floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, an ally of President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Other lawmakers on the committee include Rep. Sung Il-jong, the PPP's top policymaker, and Reps. Eom Tae-young and Jun Joo-hyae.

Reps. Kweon and Sung had been expected to be guaranteed spots because of their leadership positions in the party. Lawmakers also gave their vote of confidence to Kweon as floor leader during a general meeting at the National Assembly Tuesday.

Other members on the emergency steering committee include former officials from Yoon's presidential transition team, such as Joo Ki-hwan, who was a PPP contender for Gwangju mayor in the June 1 local elections. Joo reportedly grew close Yoon when the former prosecutor served in the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office in 2003.

The committee also includes provincial and municipal council members. The committee named as a member Choi Jae-min, 38-year-old member of the Gangwon Provincial Council, who served as vice chairman of a youth committee of the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the PPP, and Lee So-hee, a 36-year-old lawyer and member of the Sejong City Council. They are representative of the younger generation, both born in the 1980s.

Rep. Suh Byung-woo, chair of the PPP's standing national committee, said the new members were endorsed with 42 out of 55 delegates present for voting.

"I stand here with a heavy and complicated heart," said Joo during the meeting. "High prices, the spread of Covid-19, damage caused by floods and discord and conflicts within our party are weighing on our hearts and blocking our way."

Through the naming of the nine members of the emergency steering committee, Lee's chairmanship automatically came to an end.

Lee made headlines in June 2021 after he was elected PPP chairman for a two-year term, becoming the youngest leader of a political party at the age of 36.

However, on July 8, the PPP ethics committee suspended Lee's party membership for six months over allegations that he accepted sexual services paid for by a businessman in 2013 and abetted in an attempt to destroy evidence related to the incident. Lee maintains his innocence and blames party members close to Yoon for trying to oust him.

After many internal debates on whether to switch to an emergency leadership system, Joo, a five-term lawmaker, was finally named interim chief of the PPP on Aug. 9, making way for Lee's ouster.

Lee cried foul in a tearful press conference last Saturday, where he pointed fingers at President Yoon's faction in the PPP. His remarks criticizing both the president and his close associates, calling them out by name, resulted in backlash from party members, who found his reaction immature.

Lee has also been making radio appearances this week to defend himself.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Lee wrote, "It's ironic that the acting chairman who declared the party's state of emergency was re-entrusted through today's meeting."

He was referring to floor leader Kweon, who briefly served as acting chairman after Lee's suspension. Kweon stepped down from the role to take responsibility for the photographing of texts he received from the president taking a jab at Lee in late July.

Lee filed for a court injunction against the PPP's decision, and a court could make a decision as early as Wednesday.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]