국힘, 대통령발 ‘개헌 골프 회동’에 술렁…“내부 분열 책략” 발끈

After the golf outing between President Lee Jae-myung and National Strength Party deputies, disputes have erupted within the National Strength Party. In response to criticisms directed at certain members of the party, dissatisfaction and disappointment have grown among certain National Strength Party members. Party Secretary-General Park Sung-hoon told journalists on the 17th that many party members are feeling apathy and disappointment over the president's involvement in the golf outing.

Park emphasized that this was considered an improper action that placed the president in a position of political calculation. He alleged that the golf outing was a tactic to enlist supportive National Strength Party members to form a framework for reform, ultimately splitting the National Strength Party internally. The source also revealed that former and current National Strength Party speakers of the House, including Hong Jo-young, Park Deok-hyeon, Kim Tae-ho, Song Eun-seok, and Yoon Jae-ook, attended the golf outing.

As internal criticism continues, the party's representatives have made their positions clear, stating that they oppose the uncoordinated push for reform. One representative, Yoon, expressed his concern that the reform push is just one of many issues the reform discussion could swallow up. The party is reportedly engaging in pre-emptive moves to seize the national agenda in a bid to remove the National Strength Party from the legislature.

To pass a reform bill, the current legislative requirement is 200 votes; however, with only 299 seats in the legislature, 14 or more votes from opposition parties are needed. One representative noted that the golf outing might have backfired, but more attempts like this might occur in the future. Former election management official I Jung-hwan tweeted on December 12 that the most precarious scenario for the National Strength Party is the President manipulating internal power dynamics to form new alliances with a few National Strength Party members.

He argued that targeting a few National Strength Party members from the start would not garner support, but a fresh political restructuring, like dismantling the 1987 regime, forming the 7th Republic, or addressing regionalism and artificial intelligence, would be more compelling.