People Power Party to Introduce Direct Elections for Local Party Chairs in Stages

The People Power Party has chosen a phased approach to a reform that would let party members directly elect every local party committee chair. For this year’s regular selections, it will keep the existing system, but apply direct elections to districts where the chair position is vacant or the organization is considered disrupted.

The compromise emerged at a 최고위원회의, or supreme council meeting, held at the National Assembly on the 31st. Secretary-General Jeong Hee-yong said the party had approved the plan after the meeting. He said the regular selection would follow the usual procedure, while recruitment and party audits in disrupted districts would substantially expand opportunities for members to participate.

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For this year's regular selection, we will follow the usual procedure, while greatly expanding members' opportunities to participate through recruitment in disrupted local party committees and party audits. Through revisions to the party rules, we will create a model for future elections that reflects diverse views from both party members and the public.

The party currently has 34 disrupted districts. Local constituencies held by lawmakers Cho Kyung-tae, Kwon Young-jin and Seo Beom-soo could also be included if their severe suspensions of party membership, imposed by the central ethics committee, become final. Where at least two qualified candidates apply for a vacant chair position, the party leadership will make a direct member election the rule.

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It has effectively been organized as a sequential introduction in two stages, and no supreme council member expressed disagreement.

Party regulations require local committee chairs to be selected by the end of August in even-numbered years. The leadership intends to revise those rules before the next selection in 2028. The proposed changes would establish member-elected voter groups in years with local elections and require party audits to give local members’ evaluations a 50% weight.

Chief spokesperson Park Seong-hoon described the plan as a two-stage rollout and said no supreme council member objected. He said the reform could ease members’ frustration with opposition lawmakers who do not fight the governing party and help reshape the party into a more confrontational opposition force.

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We believe many party members will welcome the phased introduction of direct elections. We judge that the measure will ease frustration with opposition lawmakers who do not fight the governing party and have a major effect on improving the party’s character as a fighting opposition party.