People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok told Rep. Joo Ho-young on the 25th that during difficult times for the party, someone sometimes must accept sacrifice, responding to Joo’s announcement that he would seek a court injunction to suspend the party’s decision to exclude him from the Daegu mayoral primary. The remark effectively signaled that Rep. Joo should accept being cut from the primary.
Jang made the comments on KBS 1TV’s Sasageongeon, saying, “I believe Deputy Speaker Joo Ho-young still has an important role to play within the People Power Party and in the National Assembly.” He asked Joo to decide in the party’s interest, noting that Joo has led the party through difficult moments and has demonstrated commitment to it.
Asked about the Nominations Committee’s decision to cut both Rep. Joo and former Korea Communications Commission Chair Lee Jin-sook from the Daegu mayoral primary—and the interpretation that the move was intended to give Lee a nomination in a local by-election—Jang did not rule out the possibility. “As a party politician, Lee has areas where she can serve,” he said.
“Even if it’s not the Daegu mayoralty, there are many roles she could fill for the party,” he added. “We will consider what responsibilities, if any, to assign to her.”
Jang, who has framed holding Seoul and Busan as the benchmark for success in the June 3 local elections, called a question about whether he would accept responsibility as party leader if those cities were lost “very inappropriate.” He added, however, that if political responsibility falls to him, he will not shy away from it.
Responding to former party leader Han Dong-hoon, who attacked him by suggesting he had conceded everywhere except Seoul and Busan, Jang criticized the remark as an inappropriate reading of his comments for someone who once led the party.
“We must win Seoul and Busan to secure a foothold for the next general election and to build momentum toward the presidential race,” he said. “Can a party leader legitimately say it’s acceptable to abandon certain regions and allow them to lose?”
On Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s call to form an “innovative campaign committee,” Jang said he did not fully grasp the intent behind the proposal from the mayor and his supporters but stressed they would assemble the best possible campaign team to win. Oh has argued that a figure who can symbolize a break with President Yoon Suk Yeol should lead the campaign, but Jang did not comment further on that point.
Addressing remarks by Bae Hyun-jin, chair of the Seoul City Party Committee, who said the Seoul mayoral race was worth contesting only if there were no interference from Jang’s leadership and the Nominations Committee, Jang said he would accept the comment humbly but warned that ongoing dissent or defeatist rhetoric before the election would do nothing to help the campaign.
On Nominations Committee Chair Lee Jung-hyun, Jang acknowledged that they have clear differences of opinion. “If the committee chair awarded nominations only according to the leader’s wishes, there would be no need for a nominations committee,” he said, adding that he believes it is right to respect the committee’s final decisions.
