At the Crossroads of Reform and Regression, the Opposition Faces 'Three Mountains' to Overcome

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The opposition, which won the April 7 by-elections, is focusing on self-reflection and reform ahead of next year's presidential election. However, concerns and criticisms have arisen that the party might regress to its predecessor, the Liberty Korea Party era, as debates over the 'pardoning of former presidents' have surfaced during the preparation for electing new leadership. We have examined three criticisms recently raised regarding the People Power Party's situation.

1. Asaripan

People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman who left the People Power Party after the by-election landslide victory, responded in an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper on the 13th to the question "Do you think former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol will join the People Power Party?" by saying, "What benefit would he gain by going into an asaripan (a chaotic, lawless place)?"

Previously, Kim emphasized the need for reform and innovation while organizing the emergency committee system within the People Power Party. These remarks after his resignation remind that the party has not changed in 10 months. At his retirement press conference on the 8th, he also warned, "The People Power Party is still full of shortcomings," and cautioned that "if they mistakenly believe they have won and loosen the reins of reform, the party will be divided again, and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to achieve regime change and restore people's livelihoods will disappear."

Within the People Power Party, strong backlash arose against Kim, who continuously criticized the party he left. Four-term lawmaker Kwon Young-se sharply said at the senior lawmakers' joint meeting that day, "Spitting into the water you were drinking and then turning away is not something a respectable person would do."

2. Yeongnam Party

Kim Ki-hyun, member of the People Power Party. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

One of the most important elements in the People Power Party's reform discourse is 'regionalism.' The party's predecessors?the Grand National Party, Saenuri Party, and United Future Party?have all been criticized for using party power centered around specific factions.

Freshman lawmakers of the People Power Party voiced the need to overcome the image of being a 'Yeongnam Party' immediately after the by-election victory on the 8th. Forty-two first-term lawmakers held a press conference at the National Assembly that morning, stating, "We will overcome the criticism and limitations of being a party unpopular with youth and a party representing a specific region."

However, the People Power Party took a stance of denial rather than overcoming it. Acting party leader and floor leader Joo Ho-young said to reporters after the floor strategy meeting on the 9th, "I don't know what the limitations of our party as a Yeongnam party are," and defended, "We understood that we should become a genuine nationwide party." Kim Ki-hyun, a Yeongnam native who declared his candidacy for floor leader, also said in a KBS radio interview on the 20th, "The concerns about the 'Yeongnam Party' are neither logical nor timely," calling it "an excessive regional frame and selfishness."

3. Back to Korea Party

People Power Party Youth Issues Research Institute 'Yojeumgeotdeul Research Institute'
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The 'pardoning of former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye' debate, which surfaced ahead of the formation of the new leadership system, has amplified concerns that the People Power Party will fail in its reform efforts.

Five-term lawmaker Seo Byung-soo triggered the pardon debate on the 20th during a government questioning session at the National Assembly by saying, "It is hard to understand whether former President Park Geun-hye committed illegal acts warranting impeachment, and whether it is acceptable to torment and neglect former presidents like this," urging Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki to recommend their pardons to President Moon Jae-in. Subsequently, on the 21st, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon dined with President Moon at the Blue House's Sangchunjae and also recommended pardons for the former presidents.

However, criticism continued within the party. Kim Jae-seop, an emergency committee member, said in a CBS radio interview on the 22nd, "Bringing up the pardon debate again just four months after the impeachment apology, and about a week after the election ended, gives the impression that 'that party is now somewhat better off.'"

On the 23rd, the People Power Party's youth research institute, 'Yojeumgeotdeul Research Institute,' also issued a statement opposing the pardon, saying, "Former President Park's constitutional violations and state manipulation were matters judged by impeachment and judicial trials," and "Denying impeachment is denying the rule of law. This is not the path for our party."

The People Power Party leadership, faced with the pardon debate controversy, settled the issue by stating it is the 'president's authority' rather than an official party demand, but the spark of the pardon debate is unlikely to die down soon. All lawmakers Kwon Seong-dong, Kim Ki-hyun, Kim Tae-heum, and Yoo Ui-dong, who declared their candidacies for floor leader, support the pardon proposal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.