"Approval Ratings Didn't Rise Because We Did Well"... Controversy Over Jang Dong-hyuk's Rumored February Resignation

[Anchor]

A remark by People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyuk, who assessed that he had done his utmost to achieve a good performance in the local elections, has been met with a rebuttal from Floor Leader Jung Jeom-sik. Meanwhile, the party is in turmoil over the so-called "February resignation rumor," which suggests that Chairman Jang may step down after next February to run for another term.

Reporter Kim Bo-mi has the story.

[Reporter]

The People Power Party's Supreme Council meeting was held without Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk, who has been hospitalized for five days.

Floor Leader Jung Jeom-sik emphasized that the party cannot survive without change, stating:

[Jung Jeom-sik/Floor Leader, People Power Party: The party's approval rating has risen since the local elections. It did not rise because we did well. We must humbly accept the public sentiment and address our shortcomings.]

It is reported that during the closed-door meeting, Floor Leader Jung raised issues regarding a report on the local election results released by the party's secretariat yesterday, noting that it was distributed without his consultation.

The report claimed that "Chairman Jang gave his all for the candidates' victory" and assessed the results as a "decent performance" compared to 2018. As even some within the party criticized this as "self-praise," it appears Floor Leader Jung expressed his dissatisfaction.

However, Chairman Jang's side immediately came to his defense.

[Cho Gwang-han/Supreme Council Member, People Power Party: Immature political entrepreneurs are starting to shake the party leader. Political entertainers are blinded by personal greed and obsessed only with fulfilling their own political ambitions...]

Within the People Power Party, a scenario has emerged suggesting that Chairman Jang, whose term runs until next August, might voluntarily resign after next February.

The theory is that if he resigns with less than six months remaining in his term, the next leader would be guaranteed a full two-year term. If Chairman Jang were to resign and then win re-election, he would secure the authority to nominate candidates for the 2028 general election.

However, regarding this "February resignation rumor," Floor Leader Jung questioned, "Will he even be able to make it until next February?" predicting that a conclusion on Chairman Jang's position would be reached before then.

With non-mainstream Supreme Council member Woo Jae-jun proposing a plan to hold a party leadership election through an emergency committee regardless of the remaining term, the controversy over Chairman Jang's future shows no signs of subsiding.

(Video reporting: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Jeon Min-gyu | Design: Jegal Chan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.