The youth wing of the People’s Power Party is urging party leadership to halt ongoing disciplinary discussions against members amid concerns of internal conflict.
On October 10, the youth coalition of the People’s Power Party, known as Alternative and Future, urged the party leadership to stop ongoing disciplinary discussions concerning party members, particularly those involving legislator Bae Hyun-jin. The call to cease these discussions came as the Party's Central Ethics Committee began deliberations on disciplinary action against Bae for allegedly misrepresenting the views of a regional committee regarding opposition to a former party leader's expulsion. Lawmaker Lee Sung-kwon emphasized the need to conclude the atmosphere of disciplinary politics in order to avert further intra-party conflict and ensure a unified front ahead of upcoming local elections.
Lawmaker Lee further articulated that persistent internal strife and exclusionary politics would not benefit the party’s success in future elections. He expressed a desire for the leadership to exhibit political will and influence to suspend the ongoing disciplinary actions being processed by the Ethics Committee. Additionally, he hinted at the possibility of persuading those who initiated the disciplinary requests to retract them as a means of restoring party cohesion. Addressing queries about a related disciplinary action against a right-wing commentator, Lee confirmed that discussions had naturally encompassed those issues as well.
Moreover, Alternative and Future has also demanded a gathering of lawmakers to discuss amendments to the party’s constitution. Lee stated that concerns had been raised in a recent meeting about proposed changes, calling for robust internal deliberations to lead to a deeper understanding of the amendments. Particularly contentious is the proposal that the central party manage nominations for local leaders in municipalities with populations exceeding 500,000, a move that opposition critics argue undermines party democracy and principles of local decentralization. The coalition's initiatives highlight significant factions within the party grappling over strategy and governance as they prepare for critical elections.
