Pro-Yoon lawmaker elected as PPP floor leader

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the People Power Party gives a victory speech after he won the intra-party election for its next floor leader, held at the National Assembly in western Seoul, on Thursday. Yonhap

A pro-Yoon Suk Yeol figure, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, was elected as the new floor leader of the People Power Party on Thursday.

Assuming the role, the five-term lawmaker said he plans to convene a general meeting of party lawmakers to "collect opinions" following President Yoon's latest address Thursday morning, where he defended his decision to declare martial law last week. The party's stance at the time of Rep. Kweon's election was to go against the impeachment bill.

"The official stance of the party is currently to vote against the impeachment motion (against President Yoon). To change this we will need two-thirds of (our lawmakers) to agree," he said.

Rep. Kweon won the intra-party election by a landslide, earning 72 votes from 106 ruling party lawmakers that participated in the vote. The People Power Party has a total of 108 lawmakers.

Four-term lawmaker Rep. Kim Tae-ho, who was Rep. Kweon's rival in the two-way race, received 34 votes.

Thursday's election followed Rep. Choo Kyung-ho's surprise announcement to resign from his position as People Power Party floor leader, shortly after the first motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, for his botched martial law decree, was scrapped on Saturday. The motion failed to pass after failing to meet the quorum of 200 votes in the 300-member National Assembly. An overwhelming majority of the 108 ruling party lawmakers, except three, boycotted the vote.

Rep. Kweon said in his victory speech that he plans to lead the ruling party lawmakers in preparations for the possible presidential election that could take place if Yoon is impeached. If the Constitutional Court confirms Yoon's impeachment motion, the law states that a snap presidential election must take place within 60 days.

"(We are going through) serious and harsh times but the people's hearts will open gradually if we (as a party) become one and approach the people (from a unified stance)," he said, calling for the conservative party's unity.

Ahead of the vote, Rep. Kweon, the former prosecutor, declared he was part of the "pro-Yoon" faction. He also reminded his fellow party members that a divide within the conservative bloc following former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment in early 2017 led to the party's failure in the following presidential, general and local elections.

Rep. Kim, a four-term lawmaker, expressing regret that another president from the conservative party is now "facing impeachment," echoed the party chair Han Dong-hoon's stance of cutting ties with Yoon.

"It is time that (the party) lets go of the president's hand. We must now make a decision," he said.

Han expressed support for impeachment Thursday morning, saying that "it has been confirmed" that Yoon was not willing to participate in the party's plan for his "orderly exit." He also stressed that impeachment is the "only valid way" to stop him from exercising his powers as president.

Before they cast their votes for the next floor leader, Han advised ruling party lawmakers that the party must adopt an official stance of "voting for impeachment." He said that the president's address to the nation delivered in the morning was a clear sign that Yoon is "no longer able to carry out his duties as president."

The ruling party leader said that the lawmakers of his party must participate in the upcoming impeachment vote "based on their conviction and conscience."

In the public address, Yoon defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied the insurrection charges against him by the prosecution and police. He expressed willingness to remain in his role as president, saying he would "continue to fight until the last moment in a confident manner whether it is against an impeachment or a martial law investigation."

On Saturday, Rep. Choo resigned as floor leader, saying that he would "take responsibility" for the political turmoil and his inability to stop the first impeachment vote at the parliament against Yoon from happening.

Choo was summoned by a special investigation unit at the National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation for questioning on charges including insurrection tied to Yoon's botched declaration of martial law on Dec. 3.