Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, who had initially been scheduled to return today, has extended his trip to the United States. The People Power Party said on the 17th that the schedule was extended at the request of the U.S. Department of State.

Park Jun-tae, chief of staff to the party leader of the People Power Party, met with reporters that day and said, “Jang had originally been scheduled to return late this afternoon, but the schedule was delayed, so his return was changed to two days later,” and added, “He had gone to the airport and was going through procedures, but a special circumstance arose, and the schedule was extended again.”

Park said, “We received word that the schedule was extended at the request of the State Department,” and added, “(As potential counterparts for meetings) Secretary Rubio (U.S. Department of State) or Vice President Vance have been widely predicted by the media, but I understand those meetings have not yet materialized.” He said, “Jang is expected to arrive in the early hours of next Monday (the 20th).”

Kim Min-su, a Supreme Council member, remained with him in the United States, while lawmakers Cho Jung-hoon·Kim Dae-sik·Kim Jang-gyeom who had accompanied him boarded the flight home.

As a result, the timetable for Jang Dong-hyeok to visit the United States has been extended from the originally planned 2 nights and 4 days to 8 nights and 10 days. He had initially planned to depart on the 14th for a 2-night, 4-day schedule, but he moved the departure up and left for Washington, DC on the 11th, which extended it to 5 nights and 7 days. With the return delayed today, his stay in the United States has now stretched to 8 nights and 10 days.

Within the party, criticism of the trip by Jang Dong-hyeok to the United States is spreading ahead of the June local elections. People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won said on SBS Radio that Jang's U.S. trip “was not a very good look,” adding, “There is much to regret both in terms of timing and substance.”

Representative Song Seok-jun wrote on Facebook the day before, “In wartime, would the commander in chief leaving the post not be desertion?” Former Supreme Council member Kim Jong-hyuk wrote on Facebook on the 15th, referring to photos of Jang and Kim taken in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, “Candidates running in the local elections are shedding tears of blood, and are you shooting an overseas travel photo spread?” and “Do we really need to publicize things like this, only to be mocked by the Democratic Party and crush the hearts of People Power Party members?”