{
  "id": 3474451,
  "title": "[사설] ‘당원 주권’ 내세워 ‘당권 연장’ 꾀하는 장동혁",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/story-3474451",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T07:27:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hankyoreh",
    "slug": "hankyoreh",
    "url": "https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/opinion/editorial/1274806.html"
  },
  "original_language": "ko",
  "account": "After losing the June local elections and facing pressure to resign, Park Dong-hyuk expressed his support for a \"party-centered democracy\" approach. On 26th at the Central Party Office in Seoul, he said in his first month in office press conference, \"A party without members cannot exist, and a party's strength is nothing but the strength of its members.\" Park Dong-hyuk, known as the \"cause of the first cause of factional division in the party,\" made a strong emphasis on \"party strength\" and \"united party spirit\" in his recent message. His statement that \"the selection of the district and central party secretaries, and the chairman of the party cooperative association shall be made through direct participation of the members\" quickly drew attention. The current selection process, where district and central party secretaries are chosen through voting by legislators, is a convention, as previous practice was for regionally influential legislators to reach an agreement or adopt a rotation system based on seniority. However, introducing a direct member vote for these positions would undermine the influence of regional legislators' privileged positions. The controversy lies in Park Dong-hyuk's proposal to introduce a direct vote system for the \"Party Cooperative Association Chairperson (Secretary of the Party Cooperative Association)\" position. With every district having two-year terms for the position, except in years without legislative elections or in cases of special replacement, current legislators are questioning Park Dong-hyuk's political intentions. Though the direct election system for district secretaries was postponed by the top party body, Park Dong-hyuk reiterated his conviction to proceed with it. The party's leadership in setting political direction and determining policies is generally welcomed as a way to prevent bureaucratization and strengthen democratic principles. However, the current state of Gukmin Party members raises concerns. Their opinions are heavily influenced by far-right speakers and right-wing extremists, and Park Dong-hyuk's focus on \"party-centered democracy\" could limit necessary internal reforms and consolidate power in the hands of party members.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}