National Assembly Vice Speaker Joo Ho-young and Floor Leader Song Eon-seok clashed at the People Power Party's closed-door general meeting on the 24th over responsibility for the stalled Daegu-North Gyeongsang administrative merger bill.
At the meeting held at the National Assembly, Joo, a senior lawmaker from Daegu running for mayor, reportedly cited remarks by Democratic Party Judiciary Committee Chair Choo Mi-ae that "the PPP leadership opposed the Daegu-North Gyeongsang merger, preventing its passage." He warned that any leadership member who opposed the bill would bear serious responsibility.
Song, a three-term lawmaker representing North Gyeongsang, fired back: "If Representative Joo is pointing at me, he is gravely mistaken, and I feel my reputation has been damaged." He reportedly countered that he had only requested the Democratic Party include a procedure to hear opinions from TK region residents and had never opposed the bill.
Former Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin joined Joo's side, asking "Isn't that tantamount to opposition?" Song reportedly responded "I cannot agree" and even raised the question of his position as floor leader.
Joo issued a statement the same day, asking "Who gave the Democratic Party an excuse for their arrogant power play?" He added: "The party leadership, established with overwhelming support from Daegu and North Gyeongsang, is this powerless in defending legislation vital to the region's fate. This cowardly politics of surrendering the region's future as a bargaining chip under opposition pressure must end now."
Following the bill's postponement, 11 of 12 Daegu-area lawmakers, including Daegu Party Chairman Lee In-sun, gathered at the National Assembly to discuss countermeasures. Five of Daegu's 12 incumbent lawmakers have declared candidacies for mayor: Joo Ho-young, Yoon Jae-ok, Choo Kyung-ho, Yoo Young-ha, and Choi Eun-seok.
In their statement, the lawmakers said: "After directly confirming with the leadership, claims of PPP leadership opposition raised by some are clearly a distortion of facts. Baseless accusations that shift blame and confuse regional public opinion must stop immediately."
They added: "The Judiciary Committee's swift processing of the Gwangju-South Jeolla merger bill while shelving the Daegu-North Gyeongsang bill directly contradicts principles of equity and fairness. The committee must immediately reconsider and bring it to a plenary vote."