'Overworked' Jang Dong-hyuk: 'Let's pause resignation pressure' vs 'Term effectively over'

A senior member of South Korea's People Power Party, Yoo Eui-dong, has called for a temporary cessation of pressure on party leader Jang Dong-hyuk to resign, following Jang's hospitalization due to overwork. Yoo argued that attributing the party's recent election losses entirely to Jang is a misconception.

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Let's put aside the pressure for resignation for a moment until the representative recovers.

Yoo questioned the responsibility of district party chairpersons and incumbent lawmakers who lost their seats in the recent elections, suggesting they too should step down if their constituents demand it. He proposed that discussions about Jang's resignation be put on hold until the leader recovers, emphasizing that the party would not collapse during a brief period of quiet reflection.

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Is it a delusion to think that this election was lost because of one person, and that the areas that won did so because of the candidate's individual skills without the party leader's campaigning?

However, Woo Jae-joon, another party executive who has publicly called for the entire leadership to step down, remains firm in his position. Woo believes the leadership's term has effectively concluded and sees Jang's resignation as the natural course of action. He suggested that if Jang could explain his intentions regarding the remainder of the leadership's term, a path forward might be found.

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The leadership's role has effectively ended. I believe their term has practically concluded.

The party confirmed that Jang was hospitalized on June 18th after seeking emergency care for overwork. The internal debate highlights a significant rift within the People Power Party as it grapples with the aftermath of its electoral defeats and contemplates its future leadership.

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If the representative explains how the leadership's term will proceed, and if that is sufficiently persuasive, then we could proceed in that manner.