Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyuk advance to the People Power Party leadership runoff. (Cheongju=Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Gwang-mo = On the 22nd, People Power Party leadership candidates Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyuk wave to the crowd at the party's 6th National Convention held at the Cheongju OSCO in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. As none of the four candidates secured a majority of votes, the top two finishers, Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyuk, have advanced to a runoff election. A re-vote will be held, and the winner will be announced on the 26th. 2025.8.22 hkmpooh@yna.co.kr (End)

Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo and lawmaker Jang Dong-hyuk will face off in a two-way race for the leadership of the People Power Party.

On the 22nd, the People Power Party held its 6th National Convention at the Cheongju OSCO in North Chungcheong Province and selected Kim and Jang as the runoff candidates from the four finalists: Kim Moon-soo, Ahn Cheol-soo, Jang Dong-hyuk, and Jo Kyeong-tae.

The main primary results were determined by 80% of the votes from registered party members and 20% from public opinion polls.

While the exact vote percentages for the top two candidates were not disclosed, the winner failed to secure a majority, necessitating a runoff election to decide the new party leader on the 26th.

Both former Minister Kim and Representative Jang belong to the so-called "anti-impeachment faction," which opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Immediately after the announcement of the runoff candidates, they emphasized "unity" and "clearing out internal dissenters," respectively.

Taking the stage, former Minister Kim raised his voice, stating, "I, Kim Moon-soo, will protect our party and all 5 million of our party members," and urged, "Please become a righteous army to block the Lee Jae-myung dictatorial regime."

He continued, "The Lee Jae-myung dictatorial regime is attempting to dissolve our People Power Party," and emphasized, "Should we be divided among ourselves at such a critical time? I, Kim Moon-soo, have called for unity throughout the entire national convention period."

He further added, "The party leader who will fight and win, protect our members, and defeat Lee Jae-myung is none other than I, Kim Moon-soo."

This is interpreted as an emphasis on internal unity, reaching out even to the "pro-impeachment faction" that supported the impeachment of former President Yoon, in order to effectively counter the government and the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds a overwhelming majority of seats.

On stage, Representative Jang remarked, "The fact that I am standing here on this runoff stage today is a miracle in itself," adding, "It is a miracle made possible by our party members."

He continued, "Now, only one choice remains," and emphasized, "Whether we will embrace division, or clear out the internal dissenters and move forward in a single line—that is the choice remaining."

He further stated, "Choosing Jang Dong-hyuk is choosing the innovation and future of the People Power Party," and urged members, "Please choose a People Power Party without division."

Unlike former Minister Kim, who aims to embrace the pro-impeachment faction, this is interpreted as a signal that Jang intends to pursue a personnel purge by labeling the pro-impeachment faction as "internal dissenters."

The two candidates are expected to highlight their differences in the final televised debate on the 23rd.

Following this, the People Power Party will conduct mobile and ARS voting for registered party members along with public opinion polls from the 24th to the 25th. The runoff election, like the main primary, will reflect 80% of the votes from registered party members and 20% from public opinion polls. Yonhap News