Jang Dong-hyuk’s Bold Stance: Will He Challenge the Yoon Suk Yeol Government?

On September 9th, Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, enters the National Assembly to attend a Supreme Council meeting. To his right is Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo, and to his left is Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja. [Yonhap News]

Responding to conservative YouTuber Jeon Han-gil’s recent ultimatum demanding clarification within three days on whether the party leader officially opposes collaborating with proponents of martial law and election fraud, Jang affirmed in an interview on the News Show of the Culture Daily YouTube channel, “My official position remains unchanged.”

“To secure victory in the election, we must challenge the Lee Jae-myung administration and present future-oriented policies competently,” he stated. “To achieve this, we need to unite behind Jang Dong-hyuk, who can effectively address these issues. The question isn’t whether ‘Jang Dong-hyuk will join us,’ but how we can work together.”

He emphasized, “The only path forward is to follow the leadership of Jang Dong-hyuk, who can empower our base and resolve our challenges.”

Addressing criticism that he apologized for the emergency martial law without clearly denouncing it, Jang explained, “I expressed my position on this issue in the most appropriate manner for a party leader.” He stressed, “Words alone cannot heal the divisions. We must demonstrate our commitment through actions and results.”

“Continually rehashing this issue only sows further discord,” he added. “If necessary, I will articulate my position in a manner befitting a party leader when the situation calls for it.”

Regarding the so-called party bulletin board incident that led to the expulsion of former leader Han Dong-hoon, Jang criticized it as “a case of public opinion manipulation using party resources.” He lamented, “We should have resolved this issue in a way that bolstered the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s governance, but no progress was made.”

“Given the controversies surrounding the facts of the case, and Han’s lawsuit against the party’s audit committee chair, we had no choice but to cooperate with the investigative authorities’ requests, as demanded twice by lawmakers in general meetings,” he explained.

Responding to calls from a party faction to halt the Ethics Committee’s disciplinary proceedings against pro-Han Dong-hoon members, including Seoul City Party Chair Bae Hyun-jin, Jang maintained, “This is a matter for the Ethics Committee to handle according to established principles and standards.”

Regarding Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s repeated demands for his resignation, Jang remarked, “As party leader, it’s not appropriate for me to respond to each demand individually. I hope we can focus on presenting a vision for the upcoming Seoul mayoral race.”

When asked about the necessity of a primary for the Seoul mayoral candidate, he responded positively, “If several strong candidates emerge and we select one through fair competition, we can field the most competitive candidate.”

Addressing concerns about being influenced by conservative YouTuber Ko Seong-guk, Jang clarified, “My last interaction with Dr. Ko was during a YouTube recording after last year’s national convention. We haven’t met or communicated since then.” He added, “I discuss various party issues and concerns with our leadership team and other stakeholders.”