CEO Jang Dong-hyuk [Yonhap News]

The confusion within the People Power Party ahead of the June 3rd local elections is escalating by the day.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who did not participate in the additional candidate application process, effectively pressured CEO Jang Dong-hyuk to step down to a secondary role in this election. In response, CEO Jang expressed his negative stance on extending the candidate application period for Mayor Oh, leading to a head-on collision between the two.

Amidst this situation, Lee Jung-hyun, the chairman of the nomination committee, who is responsible for candidate selection, suddenly resigned, plunging the party’s situation into uncertainty.

Young politicians within the People Power Party and others voiced their support for Mayor Oh’s demand for the early launch of an innovation campaign committee on this day.

Rep. Kim Jae-seop, a first-term lawmaker from Seoul, said on SBS radio, "If CEO Jang is not going to accept the innovation campaign committee, it would be better to just leave the Seoul election as it is." He added, "While the local election candidates are diligently working in the fields with hoes and plows, CEO Jang is going in the opposite direction, plowing the field backward with a tractor."

In a phone call with Yonhap News, a second-term lawmaker from Seoul stated, "The Democratic Party has a Seoul mayoral candidate 'picked' by a president with a 60% approval rating, and their rivals will be celebrating for a month, but what is our party doing?" He continued, "Except for Daegu and Gyeongbuk, the atmosphere is so serious that people can’t even wear red clothes in any region. The sooner the innovation campaign committee chairman is launched, the better."

Earlier, Mayor Oh stated that the party’s innovation efforts were insufficient and again refused to participate in the additional application for Seoul mayoral candidates. He then demanded the early launch of the innovation campaign committee.

In relation to this, sources say that Mayor Oh’s side is considering a senior lawmaker from the metropolitan area who is familiar with internal party affairs, or a reform-oriented figure with an image that can contribute to expanding the moderate conservative voter base.

As news emerged that Mayor Oh met with former People Power Party interim leader Kim Chong-in on the 8th, there has been speculation in political circles that former Chairman Kim might be considered as the innovation campaign committee chairman.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon [Yonhap News] However, CEO Jang's side is firmly against accepting the demand for an innovation campaign committee, viewing it as an effective pressure for CEO Jang to step down to a secondary role.

This is because if the innovation campaign committee chairman leads the local elections, the party leader would have to retreat to the background.

Lee Sang-gyu, former chairman of the Seongbuk-B district chapter, who applied for the Seoul mayoral nomination among the party leadership faction, wrote on social media, "Expel Oh Se-hoon from nominations. Opportunistic leadership that calculates every time the party is in crisis and holds party members hostage to increase its own value is no longer an asset to our party but a lesion that must be cut out."

A key figure in the leadership commented towards Mayor Oh, "Is he not running because he lacks confidence?" and Supreme Council member Cho Gwang-han also criticized in a phone call, "He is making politics so pathetic."

In this situation, when asked about his stance on Mayor Oh's non-participation in the additional nomination application, CEO Jang responded, "I believe fairness is the essence of nominations."

This was interpreted by political circles as an expression of a negative sentiment towards extending the application period for Mayor Oh's benefit.

Meanwhile, Chairman Lee Jung-hyun of the nomination committee suddenly announced his intention to resign on the morning of this day.

Chairman Lee stated in a press release, "I have determined that it is no longer possible to pursue change and innovation in the nomination process."

While Chairman Lee's resignation was reportedly due to disagreements with the leadership over the Daegu and Busan primary election methods, it is also said to reflect complex internal party dynamics.