Seoul, June 5 The floor leader of the South Korean People Power Party (PPP) announced his resignation on Thursday, as the conservative party is reeling from a defeat in the presidential election earlier this week.
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong told a meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly that he is resigning to take responsibility for PPP presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo's defeat in Tuesday's election.
"We must start from scratch to rebuild the conservative bloc," he said.
"I will start by stepping down as floor leader."
He stressed that the election defeat is "not merely a referendum on the martial law imposition or the impeachment of the president" but a "stern reprimand" over the internal divisions within the PPP.
"As floor leader, I carry a significant share of the blame," he said.
"I have no intention of avoiding it or making excuses."
The PPP's emergency committee is scheduled to hold a closed-door meeting later Thursday to determine the timeline for electing a new floor leader.
Those considered likely candidates for the position include four-term lawmakers Kim Do-eup, Kim Sang-hoon, Park Dae-chul and Lee Hun-seung, as well as three-term lawmakers Kim Sung-won, Sung Il-jong and Song Eon-seok.
Later in the day, members of the PPP's emergency leadership committee also offered to resign en masse.
The PPP's floor spokesperson, Rep. Seo Ji-young, announced the decision, saying members such as Rep. Lim Yi-ja and Kim Sang-hoon, the PPP's top policy chief, tendered their resignations at a general meeting of lawmakers at the National Assembly.
Kim Yong-tae, the PPP's interim leader, however, did not clarify whether he intends to resign.
The PPP plans to hold a general meeting next Monday to discuss Kim Yong-tae's status and broader plans for party reform, Yonhap news agency reported.
President Lee Jae-myung took office on Wednesday after he won the election on Tuesday with 49.42 per cent of the vote against Kim's 41.15 per cent.
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