The ruling People Power Party(PPP) made appointments to fill vacancies after senior officials resigned en masse to take responsibility for the party's crushing defeat in last week's by-election for head of Seoul's Gangseo District.

PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon on Monday named two-term Rep. Lee Man-hee of Yeongcheon-Cheongdo District in North Gyeongsang Province as new secretary general.

First-term Rep. Kim Yea-ji, a proportional representative and the nation's first female visually-impaired lawmaker, was named a Supreme Council member.

Three-term Rep. Yu Eui-dong of Gyeonggi Province's Pyeongtaek-B District was picked as the new policy chief, whose nomination has since been ratified at a virtual general meeting of party representatives.

Two-term Rep. Kim Sung-won of Gyeonggi's Dongducheon-Yeoncheon District, who previously served as senior deputy floor leader, was named to head the party think tank, the Yeouido Institute.

The appointments come after former policy chief Park Dae-chul, secretary general Lee Chul-gyu and others resigned to take responsibility for the loss by a demoralizing 17-point-15 percent to the main opposition Democratic Party candidate in an election widely considered a bellwether of voter sentiment ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.