Lee Cheol-gyu, first-time recruit and contact with senior officials, Chin-yoon says, “The party must unite with Lee as the central point” Some in the party also interpret ‘the intention to keep Han Dong-hoon in check’
Rep. Lee Cheol-gyu (Gangwon Donghae-Taebaek-Samcheok-Jeongseon), who is mentioned as running for People Power Party floor leader, holds a press conference at the central party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the 20th of last month. News 1
“Isn’t there anyone other than Rep. Lee Cheol-gyu who can serve as the next floor leader of the People Power Party?” (Rep. Chin Yoon (Pro-Yun Seok-yeol))
As the People Power Party decides to elect a new floor leader on the 3rd of next month, Rep. Lee Cheol-gyu (Gangwon Donghae-Taebaek-Samcheok-Jeongseon), a member of the ‘Jjinyun’ (real Chinyun) who succeeded in three terms centered on the Chinyun group, should become the floor leader. A voice says, As Rep. Lee broadens his stride by having a private breakfast meeting with the newly elected person and continuing to meet with senior lawmakers, a trend of ‘Dapjeongi’ (the answer is fixed, Lee Cheol-gyu) in the pro-Yoon camp can be seen.
Some in the party believe that the challenge of Rep. Lee, who has served as a bridge between the President’s Office and the party, was intended to keep former Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon in check, who exposed his conflict with President Yoon Seok-yeol. At the stage of the ‘second Yoon-Han conflict’ that arose last month due to the ‘Lee Jong-seop controversy’, Rep. Lee directly attacked former Chairman Han, saying, “Correct the list of proportional representative nominations.” At the time, there was an interpretation that “it contained President Yoon’s intentions.” In a situation where the ‘pro-Yoon-Yeongnam responsibility theory’ is being raised centering on the elected and defeated candidates of the metropolitan area-small faction, when Rep. Lee moves, some criticism is raised, saying, “Are you giving up on being reborn as a political party in the metropolitan area?”
● Chin Yoon “Lee Cheol-gyu is the central point of the party”
Rep. Lee, who served as the chairman of the party’s talent recruitment committee, had a breakfast meeting at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 23rd with about 10 first-time elected officials who had been recruited, including Kang Sun-young, Ko Dong-jin, Kim Gun, Kim So-hee, Park Soo-min, Shin Dong-wook, and Choi Su-jin. President-elect Jo Jeong-hoon (Mapo-gap, Seoul), who served as a member of the party’s talent recruitment committee, also participated. Rep. Lee also met separately with leading lawmakers, including Rep. Park Deok-heum (4th term), at the assembly hall immediately after the general meeting of elected officials the previous day. Rep. Lee told reporters about the nature of the meeting, “We gathered to express our hardships,” and added, “The stabilization of the party is important, not the time to worry about personal problems.”
However, when a series of meetings were held immediately after the election date for the floor leader was confirmed at the general meeting of the elected members, one senior lawmaker said, “If the elect is encouraged, it can be held in mid-to-late May after the election of the floor leader.” He added, “The intention of the current breakfast meeting is to participate in the floor leader election.” One Yeongnam pro-Yoon-gye lawmaker said, “We need to hold the party together and unite. “Congressman Lee will be the focal point,” he said.
● Metropolitan area-elected person: “Now is the time for Chin-yoon to reflect”
There is also talk that the pro-Yoon camp’s promotion of ‘Dapjeong-i’ is an attempt by the pro-Yoon and Yeongnam groups to maintain mainstream power in the party. An official from the ruling party said, “The more Rep. Lee takes center stage in the National Assembly, the narrower the position for former Chairman Han will be,” and added, “Chin Yoon will never want to give up leadership of the party.”
Coincidentally, key lawmaker Chin Yoon-gye said about the selection of the chairman of the emergency committee to prepare for the next national convention, “Wouldn’t it be okay for one of the seniors to take charge?” An official from the ruling party explained, “They are trying to establish the chairman of the contingency committee as a scarecrow, not someone with a will to innovate,” and added, “They want to hold the election under the current ‘100% party member rule’ without revising the subcommittee rules as requested by the metropolitan area-representative faction.”
Rep. Lee, who used to be a police officer, is classified as a core member of the pro-Yoon group. He resigned from his position as Secretary General in October last year, taking responsibility for the crushing defeat in the by-election for Gangseo-gu Office in Seoul, but returned as Chairman of the Talent Recruitment Committee 19 days after his resignation. When the first conflict between former Chairman Han and former Chairman Han broke out over the controversy over the receipt of First Lady Kim Kun-hee’s Dior bag, President Yoon is known to have mentioned Rep. Lee and said to those around him, “He is a former police officer, but he is good at his job.” If Rep. Lee is elected as floor leader, a former police officer will serve as floor leader, following floor leader Yoon Jae-ok.
An elected representative from the metropolitan area said, “If Rep. Lee becomes the floor leader, there will be no room for sunlight (for the party to become a metropolitan area party),” and “Now is the time for reflection, so Rep. Lee should not run in the election.” criticized.
Reporter Kwon Gu-yong [email protected]
