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PPP emergency committee chair calls on Yoon Suk Yeol to leave party

Published: 15 May. 2025, 17:56

Kim Yong-tae, new emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 15. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Kim Yong-tae, the new emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party (PPP), publicly urged former President Yoon Suk Yeol to voluntarily leave the party, stating he would personally convey this message to Yoon in an upcoming meeting.

“As the emergency committee chairman of the PPP, I respectfully advise Yoon to leave the party,” Kim said during a press conference held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Thursday.

“I will visit Yoon as soon as possible and ask that he make this decision for the sake of the party and victory in the upcoming presidential election,” Kim said. “I trust he will use rational judgment.”

“We also plan to institutionalize three key principles governing the relationship between the ruling party and the president: party-government cooperation, separation of the party and the presidency, and a ban on personalizing the party,” Kim went on. “These principles will be codified into the PPP’s constitution and regulations, and we will promote the institutionalization of a party democracy that normalizes the relationship between the ruling party and the president, which has been delayed until now.”

Under the separation principle, Kim said, “The president should not interfere in party affairs, including leadership elections, nominations or appointments.”

People Power Party lawmakers Kim Yong-tae, center, Kim Jae-sub, left and Kim Sang-wook, right, speak during a National Assembly plenary meeting on Dec. 12, 2024. [JOONGANG ILBO]

“We will not tolerate the formation of pro- or anti-presidential factions within the party and will ensure internal democracy and lawmaker autonomy,” Kim added in relation to the non-personalization clause.

The party-government cooperation principle aims to “establish a close working relationship that transcends vertical or horizontal structures, ensuring smooth governance.”

“The PPP must now use the continuous crises it is experiencing as energy for fundamental reform and innovation of the conservative party,” Kim said. “The upcoming presidential election may be a battleground, but the real fight is for structural reform of the conservative party.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]