The Rebuilding Korea Party has begun a convention to elect new leadership for the first time since former leader Cho Kuk stepped down. Having lost Cho as its rallying point amid stagnant approval ratings, attention is focused on whether the next leadership can offer a path to rebuilding.
According to the party on Wednesday, it plans to hold a national party members' convention at the Suwon Convention Center on the 25th to elect a party leader and two supreme council members. Candidate registration runs through the 7th. Ahead of the convention, the party will gather broad member input through regional listening sessions and candidate debates.
Acting leader Shin Jang-sik has entered the race for party leader. Shin held a press conference at the National Assembly communications hall Wednesday and declared his candidacy, saying, "I will make the heart of the Rebuilding Korea Party burn hot again." He added, "With self-reliance as the foundation, I will breathe solidarity like breathing to rebuild the 'Kisses Universe Allied Forces' standing against the insurrection-sympathizing forces that deny democracy, and firmly establish the pillar of the principle of clear reform."
The race for supreme council members is also taking shape as a contest. Former Secretary-General Hwang Hyun-sun was the first to formally announce his candidacy, saying through social media on the 3rd, "It must be nurtured not as politics for myself but as a backbone for the party, as a force that fills the party's muscle with pragmatism and utility."
Rep. Cha Kyu-keun is also known to plan a press conference on the 6th to declare his candidacy for supreme council member. As other figures within the party are known to be considering runs, the possibility that the supreme council election will be held as a contested primary has been raised.
This convention carries significant meaning as the first leadership election since the Cho leadership era. In particular, the assessment is that the defeat in the Pyeongtaek-B parliamentary by-election, held alongside the June 3 local elections, became a turning point for the party. At the time, the Rebuilding Korea Party concentrated its efforts behind Cho but finished in third place. Cho stepped down from the leadership taking responsibility for the election defeat.
The failure to create a clear rebound since Cho's resignation is also a burden. The Rebuilding Korea Party secured 12 proportional representation seats in the last general election, emerging as the third-largest party in parliament, but its expansion has been sluggish. Party approval surveys have also remained in the single digits for several months.
Redefining relations with the Democratic Party is another urgent task for the new leadership. Analysts note that tensions between the two parties have become pronounced as the Rebuilding Korea Party continued its offensive against former Rep. Kim Yong-nam, the Democratic Party candidate, during the Pyeongtaek-B by-election.
Suh Wang-jin, chairman of the convention preparation committee, stressed, "I pledge to rebuild the party's banner and organization, which were disrupted by the merger debate with the Democratic Party that erupted from early this year ahead of the local elections." He added, "We will keep the path of walking together for reform-progressive coalition and the success of a people's sovereignty government widely open, and while making solidarity firm, we will hold on without wavering to our identity and calling—why the Rebuilding Korea Party is a party South Korea needs."
