‘공안통’ 정점식의 등판, 국민의힘은 ‘도로 친윤’의 굴레를 벗어날 수 있을까 > K-wave Trends

This election was a fierce three-way race between Jeong Jeong-sik, Kim Do-eup, and Seong Il-jong, and as no one received a majority of votes in the first round, it was a close race that led to a runoff election. In the end, Representative Jeong Jeong-sik won with 55 votes, beating Representative Kim Do-eup, who received 48 votes, by 7 votes. Rep. Jeong is a former public security prosecutor, former President Yoon Seok-yeol, classmate at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and an alumnus of Seoul National University Law School, so he was predicted to be a candidate with strong support from the old mainstream, pro-Yoon faction. However, this background was also seen as a symbol of ‘factional politics’, which was the biggest challenge he had to overcome. The cautious actions he took immediately after being elected can be interpreted as a result of being conscious of the gaze of those inside and outside the party, and attention is being paid to whether his future actions will be able to dispel public concerns.

The first task facing floor leader Jeong is to correct the atmosphere within the party that has deteriorated extremely after the defeat in the June 3 local elections. Currently, the People Power Party is in a state of latent conflict between party factions and non-party factions over the issue of Representative Jang Dong-hyuk's future, and how to resolve this will be a litmus test for the political power of the new floor leader. In his speech after being elected, Rep. Jeong strongly expressed his determination not to be swayed by specific forces and emphasized the collective intelligence of the general assembly of lawmakers. However, some still have doubts about whether he will be able to raise an independent voice, as he is closely related to the existing mainstream forces. Rep. Jeong responded that he would painfully accept this view, but the process of restoring trust through practical actions is unlikely to be easy.

The battle lines inside the National Assembly are also very sharp. Floor leader Chung has the enormous task of blocking the legislative rush of the ruling Democratic Party, with all his might, including President Lee Jae-myung's special prosecution law to cancel indictments and the preservation of prosecutors' supplementary investigative rights. In particular, the government investigation negotiations related to the ‘ballot paper shortage’ that occurred during the local elections are expected to be the first test of the struggle he will show as the leader of the National Assembly. Negotiations on composition of the House of Representatives and distribution of standing committee chairs are also a situation in which the Democratic Party's monopoly must be kept in check, so the negotiating power and strategic flexibility of floor leader Chung are more urgent than ever. He has declared that he will engage in negotiations resolutely, but achieving substantive results in the difficult terrain of the opposition party will require considerable political skill.

A person named Jeong Jeong-sik has a history of working as a practical core of the conservative camp, including serving as the head of the Public Security Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and leading the task force to dissolve the Unified Progressive Party. His track record gives great confidence to hard-line lawmakers who want a strong fight against lending, but there is a risk that he may come across as a somewhat rigid image to lawmakers who are concerned about expanding the moderate base. To allay these concerns, he is emphasizing the communication skills he has developed since his time as policy committee chairman, and has promised to operate the National Assembly regardless of faction. However, the label of ‘Pro-Yun’ will be a burden that will inevitably follow him throughout his leadership of the party. To overcome this, he is expected to attempt to overcome this head on by emphasizing ‘collective intelligence’ by listening to the opinions of each and every member of the National Assembly.

Sensitive issues within the party, such as the reinstatement of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, also place a heavy burden on floor leader Chung's shoulders. Due to the position of the floor leader, a key position that can exercise the authority of party leader, he is likely to exert a decisive influence on the survival of the Jang Dong-hyuk regime and the process of reorganizing the next leadership. Although he is taking a fundamental stance of gathering the consensus of lawmakers, in reality, he must act as a counterweight in the process of reorganizing the party's power landscape. Floor Leader Jeong Jeong-sik's one-year term is the time to decide whether the People Power Party can reestablish conservative values ​​and restore public sentiment. The future of the conservative camp will depend on whether he can overcome past ties and bring about true party unity, or whether he will once again be trapped by outdated factional logic.