People Power Party Primary Gains Popularity with 'Pressure Interviews'... Full-Scale Competition Begins Next Week

From 'Dwaejibaljeongje' to 'Baesinja'
Different Reactions to Jin Joong-kwon and Kim Jun-il's Questions

On the afternoon of the 10th, Yoon Seok-yeol, a candidate in the People Power Party's presidential primary, participated in the 'People's Signal Interview' held at Jeul Studio in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. His response to a question from former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon was being broadcast live on the interview venue screen.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The People Power Party completed the 'Presidential Candidate National Signal Public Interview' over two days on the 9th and 10th. Compared to the previously criticized vision and pledge presentations, which were disparaged as 'school recitals' and 'plagiarized presentations,' the more intense Q&A sessions effectively attracted public interest.

In this national interview, former Dongyang University professor and progressive commentator Jin Joong-kwon, NewsTop CEO Kim Jun-il, and Dongguk University professor Park Sun-young participated as interviewers, exchanging sharp questions close to a 'pressure interview.' Particularly, the candidates' responses to the interviewers' questions varied, drawing attention.

In fact, the Day 1 video of the public interview released on the People Power Party's YouTube channel 'Oreun Sori' on the 9th recorded 98,000 views, and the Day 2 video on the 10th recorded 96,000 views (as of the afternoon of the 11th). This is high compared to the usual video views exceeding 10,000. Additionally, edited videos shared across various media and YouTube channels reached up to 630,000 views, indicating high attention.

The most attention was drawn to the Q&A between People Power Party lawmaker Hong Jun-pyo and former professor Jin. During the interview, Hong responded to questions with a relaxed attitude. When Jin asked about the closure of Jinju Medical Center, which Hong decided to shut down during his tenure as Governor of Gyeongnam Province in 2013, Hong criticized it as a "leftist mindset" and said, "Anyone who claims that Jinju Medical Center was wrong will never vote for me if I run for president."

Past controversies that embarrassed the candidates were also revisited. For Hong, these included his 'Jumakjip Jumo' (tavern owner) remark about former Liberty Korea Party (the predecessor of People Power Party) Supreme Council member Ryu Yeo-hye, and his 'Abang-gung' (palace) comment about the late President Roh Moo-hyun's residence. He mostly refuted these, saying, "If it's a harsh remark, I accept it, but it's not sexual harassment," and "I actually visited (former President Roh's residence), and it wasn't like that; I apologized for my remarks." However, in response to Kim's question, "Because of the 'pig libido enhancer' remark, a negative perception remains, so women do not support Hong," Hong conceded, "That could be true."

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who has been embroiled in various suspicions and controversies since declaring his political participation, faced similar questioning. The interview covered recent allegations such as the 'prosecution report scandal,' suspicions related to his spouse and mother-in-law, and gaffes like '120-hour workweek' and 'contaminated food.' Unlike his somewhat agitated appearance at a press conference on the 8th, Yoon responded calmly during the interview, calling the allegation that "the Prosecutor General ordered dozens of lawmakers in the National Assembly" a "malicious conspiracy frame (prosecution report scandal)," and stating, "In my decades of investigations, I have never used a special investigation team for 18 months over such a case. I think it is unusual" (regarding spouse-related allegations).

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min was asked about the 'traitor' frame that follows him like a label. When Kim asked, "The public has crossed the river of impeachment, but only former lawmaker Yoo has not crossed it. There is an icon of a traitor image," Yoo retorted, "Do you think I am a traitor?" He added, "Honestly, I feel wronged. It seems you are referring to the support from the Yeongnam conservative region, but I believe their views will change," and said, "If former Prosecutor General Yoon or lawmaker Hong become the People Power Party candidates, they will lose quite easily."

On the other hand, former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung struggled to explain his pledges. When Kim asked, "Please tell us where you plan to build the SMR nuclear power plant, a nuclear power plant one-quarter the size," Choi replied, "I have not yet specifically thought about where it should be built," and "I will provide more detailed information after further review." Regarding this, former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong evaluated on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day, in response to the host's question, "Is there a candidate who is less prepared for the interview?" saying, "Former Chairman Choi could not answer even very basic questions. Although he has improved a lot, he still seems underprepared."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party Election Management Committee plans to announce the eight candidates advancing to the second cut-off round on the 15th, following a 100% public opinion poll conducted on the 13th and 14th. Subsequently, the TV debates, marking the start of full-fledged competition and verification among candidates, will be held on the 16th of this month, and on September 23rd, 26th, 28th, and October 1st and 5th, respectively.

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