Yoon's Ally Kim Gi-Hyeon Becomes Leader Of Ruling Party

Kim Gi-hyeon has been elected leader of South Korea's ruling People Power Party, allowing President Yoon Suk-yeol to score a political victory as he is trying to consolidate his control over the party ahead of next year's parliamentary election.

• Kim secured a resounding victory with 53% of the vote against his closest rival and former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo's 23%. Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn came third with 15% of the vote.
• Kim is a longtime conservative lawmaker and a close aide to President Yoon. This drew criticism from Ahn's camp, which accused Yoon of violating his duty to maintain neutrality.
• The new leader will lead the party to the general election scheduled for April 2024, in which the PPP will try to win an absolute majority in the National Assembly, currently controlled by the opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
• The election of Kim as PPP leader marks an importance step in the expansion of Yoon's influence on the ruling party, which will likely see his agenda play a more prominent role in the upcoming parliamentary election campaign.