Three-term lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sik was elected on the 10th as the new floor leader of the People Power Party. Jeong, the new floor leader, most recently served as Policy Committee Chair and is classified as a former proYoon Suk-yeol figure and part of the pro-leadership camp. Although criticism emerged inside the party that it had “chosen reactionary conservatism over renewal,” some also assessed that the narrow margin with the runner-up showed a current for reform.

Jeong won after a runoff against four-term lawmaker Kim Do-eup at the caucus to elect the floor leader held at the National Assembly that day. Out of 103 total votes, Jeong received 55, beating Kim (48) by 7. Three-term lawmaker Seong Il-jong was eliminated in the first round in third place. In the first round, Jeong is said to have received 47 votes, Kim 39, and Seong 20.

Jeong, a former public security prosecutor, is an alumnus of Seoul National University School of Law and a Judicial Research and Training Institute classmate of former President Yoon Suk-yeol; during the Yoon administration he served as a member of the emergency leadership and as Policy Committee Chair. Under the Song Eon-seok Emergency Response Committee system, he was appointed party secretary-general, and right up until declaring his bid for floor leader he served as Policy Committee Chair under Representative Jang Dong-hyeok.

In his acceptance remarks, Jeong emphasized unity, saying, “For us, there can be no factions, no splits, and no confrontation. There is only one People Power Party that serves the public will.” He added, “As promised, I will never be swayed by the voices of any particular group,” and said, “I will make the collective intelligence of the caucuswhich brings together the wisdom and capabilities of each and every lawmakerthe absolute standard for managing the floor.”

After being elected, he met with reporters and, when asked how he assessed the criticism that the party had “returned to a pro-Yoon camp,” he replied, “I will take that criticism to heart,” adding, “I believe the so-called pro-Yoon faction no longer exists.” On Chair Jang’s status, he said, “The power of a floor leader ultimately derives from the collective intelligence formed by gathering the sense of the caucus,” adding, “I will listen to lawmakers’ opinions and carefully heed the words of senior members as we proceed.”

In an interview with Yonhap News TV after his election, regarding the issue of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon rejoining the party, he said, “At this stage even Rep. Han has not expressed an intention to return, so it is inappropriate for this to emerge as a topic in our party,” adding, “Because I consider Rep. Han to be one pillar of the conservative camp, I think it is a matter that should be decided after taking time and synthesizing various opinions within the party.”

Among the non-leadership camp, critical voices were raised over Jeong’s election. One non-leadership lawmaker said in a phone call, “Even after the local elections, we failed to replace the mainstream. We still have not come to our senses,” adding, “This was not lawmakers choosing stability over change, but simply choosing reactionary conservatism over renewal.”

Another non-leadership lawmaker said, “Jeong ran on a strategy of keeping his distance from Chair Jang, and it worked.” This lawmaker assessed that “by putting forward opposition to by-elections, among other pledges, Jeong dispelled anti-Jang Dong-hyeok sentiment and defeated Kim, who failed to dispel ‘Han Dong-hoon phobia’.” The implication was that, if Kim had been elected, Rep. Han would have rejoined and factional conflict would have flared again.

Some also interpreted the seven-vote gap between Jeong and Kim as evidence of a reform current. A People Power Party official said in a phone call, “The current desiring reform has begun and been confirmed, but we are not yet at the point of truly coming to our senses.”

The first task facing Jeong as floor leader is negotiations on organizing the Assembly. A People Power Party floor official said in a phone call, “Talks on organizing the Assembly must begin immediately,” adding, “We need to normalize the formation of standing committees. As the opposition plays a checking role, securing at least the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair is the first objective.”