People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk salutes the national flag at a party meeting held at the National Assembly's Steering Committee meeting room on the 2nd. [Yonhap News]

Four days after expelling former leader Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party's general meeting of lawmakers on the 2nd once again exposed sharp divisions, with heated debates erupting over responsibility for the party's internal strife.

The pro-Han faction (loyal to Han Dong-hoon) and some junior lawmakers pressed the party to explain the reasons for Han's expulsion, while some members of the leadership faction defended the current leadership, arguing that it should not be shaken ahead of the June 3rd local elections.

The general meeting was convened at the request of the "Alternative and Future" parliamentary group, comprised mainly of first and second-term lawmakers, who summoned the floor leadership on the 30th of last month.

About 80 of the 107 party lawmakers attended, and around 20 requested to speak, leading to a heated debate.

From the outset, lawmakers Kwon Young-jin and Kim Yong-tae of "Alternative and Future" strongly demanded, "The conflict and division have become extreme since the expulsion of former leader Han. Please explain the process that led to his expulsion."

In response, party leader Jang Dong-hyuk stated, "As allegations have been raised regarding the facts of the party message board issue, I will actively cooperate with the police investigation as the party leader," according to Park Seong-hoon, the chief spokesperson, who relayed this to reporters during the meeting.

Jang stated, "I intend to resolve the party message board issue through the investigation," adding, "If the police investigation reveals that the disciplinary action against former leader Han was wrong, I will take political responsibility."

He also reportedly mentioned, "The core issue is not simply inappropriate comments, but the manipulation of party members' opinions."

Regarding the criticism that Jang, who served as the senior supreme council member under former leader Han, had defended Han on the party message board issue and then changed his stance, he explained, "At that time, I only heard that former leader Han had never posted comments in his own name, so I conveyed that to the media," according to reports.

Notably, Jang stated, "I have never sided with the 'Yoon-eo-gein' forces who advocate for martial law, condone insurrection, or engage in election fraud," and added, "I am keeping all possibilities open for expanding our influence," as relayed by Chief Spokesperson Park.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk entering the party general meeting. [Yonhap News]

Chief Spokesperson Park Seong-hoon and Park Jun-tae, head of the party leader's secretariat, announced that in addition to cooperating with the ongoing police investigation into a case already filed due to complaints from civic groups, the party would also formally request a police investigation.

In November 2024, when allegations arose that anti-President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife posts were made on the People Power Party's message board under the names of former leader Han and his family, groups like the Free Korea Patriotic Corps filed a complaint against the author, identified as 'Han Dong-hoon,' for violating the Information and Communications Network Act.

Subsequently, the police requested the party's secretariat to preserve the message board server data, but the party had refused to provide the data, citing it as an "internal party matter."

Despite the party leadership's decision to request a police investigation, the controversy did not subside. Arguments over the leadership's responsibility for the negative public reaction to the expulsion incident and emotionally charged exchanges ensued.

Kim Dae-sik, the head of the party leader's special advisory team, blamed former leader Han for the internal strife, saying, "Former leader Han should have sincerely apologized for the matter involving his family. It would have been so much better if he had come to support Leader Jang when he was on a hunger strike."

Conversely, Bae Hyun-jin, a pro-Han lawmaker, reportedly criticized the leadership's "shift to the right," stating, "Public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area is different from what the leadership thinks."

Lawmaker Kwon Young-jin also demanded that the party take action against some party officials appointed under Leader Jang's administration who were spewing hateful remarks at lawmakers with different views.

When pro-Han lawmakers Jung Sung-guk and Han Jia asked Supreme Council member Cho Kwang-han, who was appointed under Leader Jang's administration, about whether it was appropriate for him, not being a lawmaker, to attend the general meeting, Cho reportedly reacted defensively, leading to a heated exchange involving loud voices and informal language.

Eventually, the issue of a confidence vote for the leadership was also brought up.

Lawmaker Lim Yi-ja, a third-term legislator, stated in response to the recent proposal for a confidence vote by lawmakers like Kim Yong-tae, "Let's hold a vote of all party members. If the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership is re-elected, we will fully accept it and unify the party," according to reports.

However, no remarks explicitly demanding the resignation of Leader Jang or Floor Leader Song Eon-seok were made during the general meeting.

The general meeting, which began around 2:43 PM, concluded around 6:24 PM, after approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Earlier, Floor Leader Song warned in his opening remarks that if the Democratic Party of Korea pushes ahead with the so-called judicial reform bills, the February extraordinary session of the National Assembly could not be conducted normally.

People Power Party general meeting. [Yonhap News]