The ruling People Power Party’s interim leader, Joo Ho-young, has denied a media report that President Yoon Suk Yeol called for an early party convention to formally elect a new leader.
Speaking to Yonhap News on Tuesday, the five-term lawmaker said the gist of the president’s request to him upon taking office as the party’s emergency committee chief earlier this month was that he exercise his leadership and stabilize the party.
Joo said the claim purported in the media report, which was released earlier on Tuesday and said that Yoon strongly expressed his opinion that a PPP national convention to elect a new leader should be held this year, is baseless.
He said Yoon only told him that there is no structure that allows the president to intervene in party decisions and that the emergency committee and the party make good decisions through discussions.
While acknowledging that there has been active communication between him and Yoon, Joo said the emergency committee will draw up plans on a blank piece of paper and make decisions based on opinions of a majority of party members.
Source: KBS World Radio