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Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the ruling People Power Party announces she is quitting the party's supreme council at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Friday (Yonhap) |
A ruling party lawmaker quit the party's Supreme Council on Friday amid speculation it could lead to the party switching to a collective leadership system from the one-man leadership of acting chairman Kweon Seong-dong following the embarrassing disclosure of his texts with President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party said she will step down as a council member, saying the party has failed to live up to people's expectations for the past 80 days since the inauguration of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
"I think it is time for me to take responsibility as a leadership member," she said.
Her departure came as many party members have raised questions about the leadership of acting chairman and floor leader Kweon after he was caught on a press camera exchanging texts with the president and carelessly exposed Yoon's criticism of suspended party chief Lee Jun-seok.
Kweon took over as acting leader of the party early this month after Lee had his party membership suspended for six months over allegations that he received sexual services paid for by a businessman in 2013 and attempted to cover it up after the allegations surfaced late last year.
Bae declined to comment on how she thinks the party's leadership system should change. But her departure was widely seen as aimed at encouraging other Supreme Council members to follow suit in order to break up the council and switch to a collective leadership system.
At least half of the nine Supreme Council members must quit for the council to be dissolved.
Aside from Bae, no other member is reportedly considering stepping down. (Yonhap)
