"Fight When You Must" vs "The Paradigm Has Changed"... The Crossroads Facing People Power Party's Choice

Kwon Seong-dong "Must Break Away from Extreme Partisan Logic"
Yoo Ui-dong "The Paradigm of Conflict Has Changed"
Kim Tae-heum "The Opposition Should Be True to Its Role"
Kim Ki-hyun "A Person Who Knows When to Fight Must Fight"

People Power Party floor leader candidates Kim Tae-heum, Kim Ki-hyun, Kwon Seong-dong, and Yoo Ui-dong attended the party members' meeting held at the National Assembly on the 30th to elect the floor leader, posing while holding hands. Photo by Yoo Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] The candidates for the floor leader of the People Power Party each presented differing views on future opposition party struggles, with some advocating "fighting when we must fight" and others insisting "we must not abandon the parliamentary approach." While Representatives Kwon Seong-dong and Yoo Ui-dong proposed opposition strategies focused on negotiation, Representatives Kim Ki-hyun and Kim Tae-heum emphasized the need to fight when necessary.

At the floor leader election policy presentation held on the 30th at the National Library, Representative Kwon Seong-dong, who spoke first, appealed for support by sharing his perception and conviction regarding the political situation. He pointed out, "The reason why the People Power Party suffered consecutive defeats in the last four elections but public sentiment changed dramatically within just one year, leading to the downfall of the Moon Jae-in administration and the Democratic Party, is because the party failed to properly read the pulse of the people and engaged in politics only for the arrogant and hardline supporters who surrounded it." Representative Kwon added, "Although we were helpless against the Democratic Party's parliamentary dominance, we did not boycott the National Assembly and tried hard to persuade the public, and as a result, the people supported us in the Seoul and Busan elections. The will of the people is to break away from the extreme supporters' factional logic and to follow the path of common sense and reason."

Representative Yoo Ui-dong also stated, "The paradigm of struggle has changed," expressing opposition to a strong-against-strong confrontation strategy. He criticized, "Some argue that since the Democratic Party's floor leader is hardline, we must also be strong, but this is a decidedly outdated perception. What have we gained from a hardline opposition struggle without strategy or goals? It was a battlefield favorable only to the ruling party, which has numerical superiority and diverse strategies." Yoo pledged, "I will change the status and role of the floor leader's office," emphasizing, "The floor leader's office should not be an authoritative place where one is summoned, runs to report, and receives orders. It should be a forum where natural mentoring occurs among lawmakers and where opinions and information are quickly shared."

Representative Kim Tae-heum declared, "I will show the public a true opposition party, manage the presidential election situation as one of the party's two top leaders, and lead the party to victory in the presidential election," adding, "We have endured a year of the ruling party ignoring the opposition and rushing legislation, and an opposition facing such an opponent must act like a true opposition." He promised, "Compromise and cooperation mean doing whatever the ruling party wants. I will proactively address major issues and break away from the image of a reactive, lagging opposition."

Representative Kim Ki-hyun described himself as "someone who knows when to fight," stating, "I have proven morality and the confidence to firmly uphold the opposition's position without hesitation." Regarding the upcoming presidential election, he introduced, "I have contested two elections as a member of the National Assembly, and when former President Park Geun-hye was elected, I served as the floor deputy leader, effectively overseeing floor operations. I meticulously planned many issues and made political judgments that resulted in the successful election of a difficult candidate."

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