Seoul, May 15 The new interim leader of the South Korean People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday urged former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to leave the party to help it win the June 3 presidential election, as the party struggles to narrow the gap in the critical race against its rival Democratic Party (DP).
Calls have been growing within the PPP for the ousted president to sever his ties with the party, with many party members believing that his departure is necessary to help boost its presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo's stagnant poll numbers.
The conservative PPP, to which Yoon belongs, has shown signs of distancing itself from him as the party struggles to catch up with the DP's presidential contender Lee Jae-myung, with less than three weeks to go before the election.
"I believe the (former) president will make a rational decision," Rep. Kim Yong-tae said during a press conference shortly after being formally named the interim PPP leader.
"As the interim leader, I would respectfully recommend the president leave the party."
The election will pick a successor to Yoon, who was removed from office on April 4 over his botched martial law attempt, leaving the PPP in limbo and an internal rift.
PPP's Kim Moon-soo has largely retained a neutral position about Yoon's potential exit from the party, saying it's up to Yoon to decide whether to leave the PPP, Yonhap news agency reported.
"A president's party departure is a matter that will be decided by the president," Kim told reporters Thursday when asked about the issue.
Some PPP members said that it will be difficult for Kim Moon-soo, as the presidential candidate, to make an explicit statement calling for Yoon's departure, raising the view that Kim Yong-tae will likely be at the forefront to make it happen.
"The fact that (Yoon's) impeachment was just is acknowledged by many people," Kim Yong-tae said in an interview with SBS Radio earlier in the day.
"We plan to put everything to an end before the end of this week."
The interim leader also said the PPP will revise the party charter and regulations to ban presidents affiliated with the party from intervening in party affairs.
"We'll push for institutionalising party democracy by normalising the relationship between the ruling party and the president," Kim said.
"We plan to prohibit the president from intervening in key party affairs, such as internal elections, nominations and appointments of party officials."
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