Kweon Seong-dong elected as floor leader of PPP amid ongoing turmoil

The People Power Party elected Rep. Kweon Seong-dong as its new floor leader on Thursday. Kweon, a close friend of President Yoon Suk Yeol and identified as pro-Yoon, was chosen over Kim Tae-ho, who had been campaigning for “yes impeachment.” Kweon's election, centered on his campaign for “no impeachment,” is expected to intensify internal conflict within the party regarding the second impeachment vote.

The ruling party’s general meeting on Thursday was a shambles. “Let's vote in favor of impeachment as the party’s official position,” party leader Han Dong-hoon said. “President Yoon confirmed that he has no intention of stepping down early. His public discourse today was essentially a confession of treason.” In response, pro-Yoon lawmakers such as Kang Myung-kyu and Lim Jong-deuk shouted, “What was a confession?” and “Get off the podium.” Han shouted back, “Don't speak informally to me,” in an exchange that was broadcast live on TV.

The People Power Party is sinking deeper into a quagmire of factionalism. Han called for the convening of an emergency ethics committee to remove President Yoon from office or expel him from the party, while opposing lawmakers criticized Han for engaging in “the politics of betrayal” and “recklessly accusing him of treason.” The 72–34 vote margin suggests that the “impeachment dyke” has collapsed, driven by a significant shift in support from lawmakers, even though the majority still oppose impeachment.

Underlying the conflict is a power struggle for dominance within the party. The pro-Yoon group asserts, “If the president is impeached, Han will resign immediately.” They aim to establish a system under a new pro-Yoon leader of the emergency response committee and take control of the party. Many are concerned about whether the Han Dong-hoon–Kweon Seong-dong duopoly, which has been consistently at odds, can effectively manage an impeachment situation.