Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap) The rift in the People Power Party's leadership appears to be widening, with two top officials repeatedly clashing over postelection strategy and how to assess the conservative party’s performance in the June 3 local elections.The tension between the party's chief, Jang Dong-hyeok, and Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sig has surfaced three times over the past week, even as Jang remains hospitalized due to exhaustion.The latest dispute was triggered by a party report released Sunday under the official name of the People Power Party, titled “Analysis of the June 3 local elections and parliamentary by-elections.” The report largely credited Jang with leading the party’s election campaign, saying he had “devoted himself fully” to helping candidates across all 16 major cities and provinces.Jeong publicly pushed back against the assessment.At a meeting of the party's Supreme Council on Monday, Jeong said the election results should be seen as a message demanding reform from both the ruling bloc and the opposition.“The people sent a stern warning to the arrogance and unilateral governance of the government and ruling party, while also demanding painful reflection and reform from the opposition,” Jeong said. “It was an order for sweeping reform.”A floor leadership official said Jeong’s remarks were seen as an attempt to check the interpretation that Jang had led the party to a relatively strong election performance.Jeong also distanced himself from the report in an MBN interview Sunday, saying there were parts he could not easily agree with. He described the report as “the view of election staff that did not go through sufficient internal deliberation.”According to party officials, the report was delivered to Jeong only about 30 minutes before it was released to the press. Jeong is said to have questioned the party secretariat over how the report had been drafted and circulated.During a closed-door Supreme Council meeting Monday, Jeong reportedly told party officials that sensitive materials should be reported in advance to the floor leader, Supreme Council members and the broader party leadership.“The People Power Party is not a private party for the leader alone,” Jeong was quoted as saying by a party official.The official said the remark appeared to be a warning aimed at Jang.The two have also clashed over the party’s response to ballot shortages reported during the June 3 elections.At an emergency Supreme Council meeting on June 15, Jang said the party’s goal was clear: a nationwide revote. Jeong countered that the party’s election petitions were not aimed at seeking a full rerun of the elections.Two days later, at a general meeting of lawmakers, Jang argued that the party should file election petitions in all 16 regions, including Seoul, while Jeong proposed limiting the petitions to seven areas, including North Chungcheong Province.Jeong’s proposal was ultimately adopted in a vote by lawmakers, reinforcing the view inside the party that the disagreement between the two was becoming more serious.A party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Jeong has stepped in whenever Jang has taken what some inside the party view as an excessive line, including references to election fraud or calls for a revote in the Seoul mayoral election.“Whenever Jang makes an excessive claim, Jeong appears to be putting on the brakes,” the official said.A lawmaker from the southeastern region said Jeong seemed to be trying to contain what he sees as the “Jang risk” at a time when President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating is falling and the gap between the ruling and opposition parties is narrowing in opinion polls.Jang, who was admitted to a hospital Thursday due to exhaustion, is expected to continue treatment for the time being.Rep. Park Jun-tae, Jang’s chief of staff, said Monday that Jang had hoped to return to party duties within the week, but that his recovery would have to be monitored.“The leader said he would return this week no matter what, but we need to see how his condition develops,” Park said.