People Power Party Presidential Primary Bus 'On Time Departure'... 'The War of the Dragons Has Begun'

Yoon Seok-yeol's Approval Rating Falters While Hong Joon-pyo and Yoo Seung-min's Ratings Rise
Primary Election Conflicts Escalate Over Reverse Voting Prevention Clause and More

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] The People Power Party officially kicked off its presidential primary race on the 30th by starting the candidate registration process. Each candidate is intensifying competition by increasing regional tour schedules and raising their voices on current issues.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the same day, former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong personally visited the People Power Party headquarters to register as a candidate, while former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung completed their registrations through representatives. In the afternoon, People Power Party lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo and former lawmaker Jang Sung-min are also scheduled to register via proxies. Candidate registration continues until tomorrow (31st).

The People Power Party’s “primary bus,” which had been a subject of controversy over when and how it would depart, finally set off, and candidates are focusing on regional visits according to their primary strategies. Former Prosecutor General Yoon, who had drawn attention with the “Chungcheong Daemangron” (Great Hope for Chungcheong) theory, chose Chungnam, his father’s hometown, for the day. He met party members at the People Power Party Chungnam Provincial Party and held a meeting with local journalists. Lawmaker Hong, who is touring nationwide, visited the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park Memorial Tower and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Tower. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min continued to court public opinion in Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK) following the previous day.

Former Prosecutor General and People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol is visiting the People Power Party Chungnam Provincial Office in Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam on the morning of the 30th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, in the current People Power Party primary race, while the leading candidate Yoon has faltered, the support rates of second and third place candidates Hong and Yoo are on the rise. According to a public opinion poll conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) commissioned by TBS (from the 27th to 28th, nationwide survey of 1,015 adults aged 18 and over using ARS method, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level), in the “suitability for next conservative presidential candidate” survey, Yoon received 25.9%, down 2.5 percentage points from the previous week. Next were Hong with 21.7% (+1.2 percentage points) and Yoo with 12.1% (+1.8 percentage points).

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party's presidential primary (front row, right), is visiting and touring the POSCO History Museum in Pohang, Gyeongbuk on the 30th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Among the candidates, opinions differ regarding the “reverse selection prevention clause.” Former Prosecutor General Yoon and former Chairman Choi, whose support rates among People Power Party supporters are higher than in general polls, argue that the clause should be introduced to prevent manipulation by Democratic Party supporters. Lawmaker Hong and former lawmaker Yoo, who have higher support rates in general polls, oppose it citing the need for broader appeal. Both sides have engaged in fierce exchanges, calling each other “Democratic Party candidate” (Choi’s side) and “coward” (Yoo’s side).

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