PPP heavyweight trio throw hats in ring for party leadership

Politics

Published: 23 Jun. 2024, 19:38

PPP heavyweight trio throw hats in ring for party leadership

From left, People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Na Kyung-won, former PPP interim chief Han Dong-hoon, and former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong announce their bids for party leadership during separate press conferences at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Three conservative People Power Party (PPP) heavyweights declared their bids for PPP leadership Sunday, a month ahead of their party's convention set to determine the direction of PPP's cooperation with the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Former PPP interim chief Han Dong-hoon, Rep. Na Kyung-won and former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong held separate back-to-back press conferences within an hour of each other Sunday afternoon, officially announcing their candidacies to become PPP's next chief.

The PPP is scheduled to hold a national convention on July 23 to elect a new leader. The race looks to be four-way, including Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, a five-term lawmaker who declared his bid on Friday.

The PPP's next leader will define the tone for relations between the conservative party and the Yoon administration, both reeling from the liberal Democratic Party's (DP) landslide victory in the April 10 general election.

In his press conference at 2 p.m. at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, Han promised to use the general election defeat as a foundation for rebuilding the party's power and reestablishing party-government relations in a horizontal manner.

Han, a former justice minister known as a close confidant of President Yoon Suk Yeol, became the PPP's emergency steering committee leader last December.

His return to the political spotlight comes two months after he resigned from the post to take responsibility immediately after the PPP's crushing election defeat, winning 108 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

"I intend to fulfill my true responsibility by responding to public sentiment and devoting everything to create a PPP that meets the people's expectations," Han said.

He added that he would "use the experience of defeat as the foundation for change and victory" and "reestablish party-government relations in a horizontal way and reform them in a practical direction."

Han said that the PPP should "faithfully cooperate with the government," but he will also become a leader who can provide "reasonable checks, criticism and suggestions for change when absolutely necessary."

Despite close ties to Yoon dating from their time as prosecutors, Han's relations with the president reportedly faced a rocky patch after he became PPP interim leader when they clashed over issues including election nominations and the handling of allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee accepted a luxury bag from a pastor.

Nonetheless, Han is seen by political observers as a frontrunner to become the PPP's new chairman in the upcoming convention.

During Sunday's press conference, Han addressed the public's doubts about the death of a young Marine in the line of duty, saying that the PPP should take the lead in a special investigation to uncover the truth.

"We must resolve the public's doubts regarding a special probe," Han said, adding that the PPP has "unfortunately missed several opportunities" to do so.

Last month, Yoon vetoed a DP-led bill that would establish a special counsel probe into the Defense Ministry's handling of a Marine's death last year.

The Defense Ministry and the presidential office have faced allegations of meddling in a military's official inquest into the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who drowned while conducting a search and rescue mission during heavy rain and flooding in July 2023.

Han said that the misjudgments that led to the defeat in the general election cannot be repeated.

Na, a five-term PPP lawmaker, announced her candidacy at a press conference one hour earlier than Han and promised to bring conservatives back to power as a leader not bound by factional ties.

Na served as the first female floor leader of the conservative party from 2018 to 2019 and briefly as vice chair of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy under the Yoon administration.

She stressed that as a lawmaker, she has managed to avoid factional conflicts within the party and is committed to running the PPP with neutrality, undeterred by personal ambitions.

Na said she has no plans to run for the presidency herself, hoping to become a party leader who can shed light on the next presidential candidate.

She said as the party's next leader, she can "truly make the Yoon Suk Yeol government successful."

In turn, Won, who held a press conference at 3 p.m., pledged to guide the PPP to victory as "one team," advocating unity between the party and government for the success of the next conservative administration.

"The party-government relationship can be established only if there is trust," Won said, stressing that he and the president hold mutual trust.

Won is seen to be the candidate most aligned with Yoon. He served as Jeju governor from 2014 to 2021 and as Yoon's first minister of land, infrastructure and transport from May 2022 to December 2023.

"I will convey the sentiments of the party and the public to the president without hesitation and share the result with people," he said.

While all three candidates unanimously emphasized the need for the success of the Yoon administration and a return of conservatives, they remained divided on the issue of a special probe into the late Marine. Unlike Han, Na and Won said a special probe can be pursued only after the results of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials come out.

Candidates are intensely preparing for the party's national convention, with registrations to take place on Monday and Tuesday.

Later Sunday afternoon, negotiations between the DP and PPP floor leaders over the distribution of parliamentary standing committee chairs broke down again. This comes after the DP unilaterally appointed the heads of National Assembly standing committees earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters after leaving National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik's office just 20 minutes after the closed-told meeting began, Choo Kyung-ho, PPP floor leader, said the talks were "without additional concessions or proposals for negotiation."

He added that "empty-handed negotiations are meaningless, and there is no need to meet again."

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