Main opposition party elects Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig as new floor leader

SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) elected three-term lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sig as its new floor leader Wednesday, days after his predecessor resigned following the party's crushing defeat in last week's local elections.

Rep. Jeong, who represents a constituency in the conservative stronghold of South Gyeongsang Province, defeated four-term lawmaker Kim Do-eup and three-term Rep. Sung Il-jong by winning 55 out of 103 votes in a runoff against Kim.

Jeong was initially expected to clinch a victory in the first round by securing a majority but ultimately won the race by a narrow margin of seven votes after the runoff.

The floor leader election was held after Rep. Song Eon-seog stepped down Friday, just 10 days before his term was set to end.

Song's resignation came amid growing calls within the PPP for leader Jang Dong-hyeok to step down over the party's defeat in the June 3 local elections. Although the PPP managed to retain the key battleground of Seoul, it won only four out of the 16 key mayoral and gubernatorial posts contested nationwide.

Jeong was widely considered to be aligned with the pro-Yoon Suk Yeol faction under the previous Yoon administration.

The new floor leader now faces the task of resolving internal rifts and steering the embattled party's reform efforts following the former president's failed martial law bid, as well as the party's recent election defeat.

Jeong Jeom-sig, a lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks after being elected as the party's new floor leader during a general meeting of its lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul on June 10, 2026. (Yonhap)