Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party (center), visited a church in Busan where Pastor Son Hyun-bo, who was arrested last September, serves as the lead pastor, urging, "The judiciary and courts must rise with greater strength against the outrageous destruction of the judiciary." [Photo=Yonhap News]
Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, held an emergency press conference at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 7th, under the theme of 'Change to Win,' and announced the party's reform plan. What stunned most of the People Power Party members and conservative citizens was Party Leader Jang's 'apology.'

At a time when a court ruling on President Yoon Suk-yeol's case is imminent, stating that "martial law was an inappropriate and wrong measure for the situation" is tantamount to the party leader pre-emptively declaring guilt before the judge even wrote the verdict. Moreover, the statement, "We will leave past events to the fair judgment of the judiciary and the evaluation of history," can be interpreted as a signal of 'cutting ties' to the bench ahead of the ruling.

'Apology' Has Been the Issue for the People Power Party All Year

In December of last year, around the one-year anniversary of President Yoon Suk-yeol's December 3rd martial law declaration, the 'apology' demand resurfaced, causing continuous controversy both within and outside the People Power Party until the end of the year and throwing the party into significant turmoil. Around 25 lawmakers, primarily from the Han Dong-hoon faction, held a press conference at the National Assembly's communication center demanding an 'apology for martial law.' Subsequently, including senior lawmakers, one by one, they expressed their intent to apologize, indicating that a year later, the party was once again experiencing internal conflict over the 'martial law apology.'

The People Power Party had already officially apologized multiple times for the December 3rd martial law incident. However, whenever an opportunity arose, someone would again bring up the 'martial law apology,' and then, as if waiting, voices demanding an 'apology' from the leadership would emerge from various quarters.

Amidst this, Party Leader Jang, who had not wavered in his stance, saying, "Martial law was not wrong," and "It is not right to sever ties with President Yoon," made his position clear. Therefore, this recent press conference for an 'apology' was nothing short of a shock to the party members and supporters.

Just five days prior, on the 2nd, Party Leader Jang had stated in a New Year's press conference, "If there are obstacles to party unity, those obstacles must be removed first." Regardless of whether Party Leader Jang's sudden press conference to apologize was appropriate, there is significant interest in the background behind it.

Forces Within the People Power Party Shaking the Leadership

The 'apology' demands from some People Power Party lawmakers that caused a stir both inside and outside the party in December of last year were, in fact, an offensive targeting the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership. As the New Year began and the 'apology' controversy seemed to subside, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stepped forward on New Year's Day, the 1st, calling for 'conservative grand unity.' Party Leader Jang's remark about 'removing obstacles' in his New Year's press conference the following day was a clear rejection of Mayor Oh's statement.

Then, Kim Do-eup stepped in.

At the party's internal policy coordination meeting on December 30th of last year, he publicly apologized for martial law, stating, "We apologize to the public for the fact that a martial law situation occurred during the term of the president produced by the People Power Party." He then immediately offered his resignation to Party Leader Jang on the 5th. Although he publicly announced his resignation to the media on the 5th, he revealed that he had already expressed his intent to resign as Policy Committee Chairman to the party leadership on December 30th of last year.

Kim Do-eup is a four-term veteran lawmaker from the Busan region who joined the leadership at Party Leader Jang's earnest invitation after Jang took office. His resignation, as the most senior member of Jang's leadership, known for his weak factional ties and rational approach, has significantly shaken the leadership.

"Having Weak Factional Ties Means Having an Unclear Stance"

Some within the party criticize him for pouring cold water on Party Leader Jang, who was on the defensive due to attacks from internal opposition forces, by announcing his resignation. They argue that he has exacerbated unnecessary confusion by declaring his resignation at a sensitive time when the leadership was preparing a reform plan and struggling with whether to apologize for the martial law incident.

There are also those who suspect that his resignation was not a pure intention but a 'political move' aimed at damaging Party Leader Jang's leadership. Ultimately, they question, "Isn't this a signal to drive out the petition for Party Leader Jang's resignation?" They argue that his past actions reveal he is by no means a figure with weak factional ties, and his behavior is calculated to shake up Party Leader Jang in conjunction with certain factions within the party demanding 'expansion of the center.'

A Meaningful Statement... "We Will Find the Mistakes and Responsibilities Within the People Power Party"

At the beginning of his reform plan announcement, Party Leader Jang apologized for the December 3rd martial law incident and immediately followed with, "I deeply regret the responsibility." He added, "The People Power Party was insufficient. We will find the mistakes and responsibilities within the People Power Party. We will start anew solely from the perspective of the people's expectations."

This statement points out that the continuous 'shaking of the leadership' and 'demands for a transition to an emergency committee system' from within the party, rather than attacks from the opposition party, have made the party more precarious. It suggests that the cause of the situation lies not with the external forces (opposition parties) but with the 'divisive forces' within the party.

Furthermore, "We will find the responsibility within" implies the message, "Instead of solely blaming the president, we (the internal opposition) must change first."

It is a warning that a change in attitude from vested-interest senior lawmakers and some party members who are preoccupied with their own politics by merely blaming the president and the leadership is the core of reform. In essence, it is pressure saying, "Since I have apologized, now you who are shaking me must also show a responsible attitude."

According to observers inside and outside the party, this also implies a characterization of Policy Committee Chairman Kim Do-eup's actions, in which he deviated from the leadership and declared his resignation, as 'irresponsible internal division that ignores the party's crisis.'

"It's a Betrayal" "Let's Defect"... Is Defection the Answer?

Following Party Leader Jang's 'apology,' the supporters of the People Power Party, especially the party members who had supported Party Leader Jang Dong-hyuk, are seething with bewilderment and anger. They view Party Leader Jang's actions as a 'betrayal for political survival,' with criticisms like "They have succumbed to the left-wing frame," "They stabbed us in the back," and "This is a betrayal" flooding the party's message board.

The public apology from Party Leader Jang, who had previously acknowledged the legitimacy of martial law and been negative about apologizing, is seen as a 'surrender that abandoned conservative values.'

Consequently, posts like "There is no hope in a party like this anymore" and "I will stop paying party dues and leave the party" are appearing on various online communities and party message boards, with voices predicting actual defections or collective actions.

However, on the other hand, there is also a considerable cautious argument that the escalation of internal conflict within the People Power Party is precisely the scenario the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, desire. They warn, "We must avoid internal strife for now and watch the situation unfold."

By Reporter Park Hye-soo