"Is Lee Jun-seok's Disappearance a Presidential Election Risk... Controversy Over Party Leader's Qualifications"

Lee Jun-seok Disappears After Posting Drunken Facebook Message... Spotted in Busan
Criticism for Inappropriate Behavior as Ruling Party Leader Ahead of Presidential Election
Repeated Conflicts with Yoon Seok-yeol... 'Party Leader Passing Over', Internal Strife Over Campaign Committee Formation
Senior Party Members Analyze as '30s Party Leader Being Shaken'
Expert: "An Expected Outcome for Lee Jun-seok Lacking Political Experience... Kim Jong-in Recruitment Needed"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, has suddenly gone into hiding, sparking controversy over his qualifications as party leader. Lee rose to the position of 'opposition party commander' with overwhelming support from the 20s and 30s age groups, but during the presidential election phase, he clashed multiple times with candidate Yoon over the formation of the campaign committee, leading to criticisms of 'lack of leadership.'

Some interpret this as an attempt by senior party members to undermine the young party leader. An expert noted, "Conflicts like these were foreseeable from the start when a leader with limited political experience like Lee took office."

◆ Conflict over Campaign Committee Formation · Party Leader Being Sidestepped... Ongoing Yoon Seok-yeol?Lee Jun-seok Conflict

Many view the spark of conflict during the presidential election phase as internal strife over the recruitment of former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in. Contrary to Lee’s persistent insistence on the 'Kim Jong-in system,' Yoon’s side clashed with Kim over the campaign committee’s formation.

On the 23rd, Kim Jong-in effectively declined to join the campaign committee, stating, "I will return to my daily life," and on the same day, candidate Yoon expressed displeasure, saying, "Don’t ask me about what that person says."

Amid ongoing conflicts, Kim Jong-in eventually expressed discomfort. On the 25th, in front of his office in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, he responded to media reports claiming that Yoon’s side had issued a final ultimatum for him to join the campaign committee by saying, "I saw the news about the ultimatum and thought, 'Good.' If it ends today, that’s good."

In response, Lee likened Kim Jong-in to a "cow that cannot be bought even with money," expressing regret. On the morning of the 29th of last month, during an appearance on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' he said, "It’s a cow you can’t buy with money. You don’t just pay the cow’s price; you have to add everything on top. You have to give full authority." He also predicted, "If the approval ratings drop later, the candidate or leader will have to bow down and bring Kim Jong-in back."

The controversy over the campaign committee formation and the 'party leader being sidelined' issue further fueled the conflict. Lee publicly opposed the recruitment of Professor Lee Soo-jung, a criminal psychology professor at Kyonggi University, to the campaign committee, but Yoon’s side recruited her as co-chair of the campaign committee on the 29th of last month.

However, regarding this, Lee dismissed the sidelining controversy on Facebook on the 28th of last month, saying, "I’m tired of the sidelining controversy now. The candidate holds unlimited authority and responsibility in the election," and added, "There can be no sidelining controversy from the start. It’s not a problem if the party leader isn’t consulted."

Nevertheless, Yoon’s side not sharing visit schedules with Lee in advance escalated the conflict again. On the 29th of last month, Lee posted on his Facebook, "At least, when announcing a schedule that 'Lee Jun-seok is going,' they should ask me and decide. Discussing in advance is important." He expressed displeasure at learning through the media that he would accompany Yoon on a visit to Sejong.

Ultimately, on the night of the 29th of last month, after drinking with five first-term lawmakers, Lee posted a cryptic message on his Facebook saying, "If so, this is the end," then suddenly cut off contact and disappeared. He canceled all official schedules planned for the 30th, leading to rumors of his resignation as party leader. However, it was later confirmed on the 1st that Lee had gone down to Busan and held a late-night meeting with former National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa.

This behavior was criticized as inappropriate for a party leader with less than 100 days remaining until the presidential election. On the 30th of last month, Jang Sung-min, director of the World and Northeast Asia Peace Forum, posted on his Facebook, "I have never seen such an opposition party or met such an opposition party leader in constitutional history," sharply criticizing Lee.

Jang further targeted Lee, asking, "Is he the opposition leader dreaming of taking power or the opposition leader who has given up on regime change?" He raised his voice, saying, "Now, Lee should stand at the forefront of the party, criticize the government and ruling party’s disastrous quarantine failures, hold them accountable on behalf of the people, and present reasonable alternative policies."

Some even jokingly refer to this as the 'Second Seal Incident.' The 'Seal Incident' refers to the 2016 general election event when then-leader Kim Moo-sung, in protest over internal party conflicts regarding nominations, took the party seal and went to Busan.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman, are entering a restaurant in downtown Seoul on the evening of the 24th for a dinner meeting.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Senior Party Members Shaking a 30-Something Party Leader?" Analysis... Expert: "It Was Already Foreseen... Without Kim Jong-in’s Political Skills, Internal Party Reconciliation Is Difficult"

Lee previously rose to the party leader position in June with overwhelming support from young people but has been embroiled in multiple 'Lee Jun-seok risks.' Especially, he clashed several times with presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, who was considered a leading contender even before joining the party, raising doubts about his leadership.

On July 22, People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won said, "It seems more dangerous to hear the statements of the leader of the main opposition party than the approval ratings of former General Yoon. The 'Lee Jun-seok risk' seems to be materializing, which is very worrisome," and added, "It looks like the leader of the main opposition party, who should protect the opposition candidate, is making provocative remarks like 'dangerous,' which only seems to induce a drop in former General Yoon’s approval ratings," he sharply criticized.

The recorded conversation dispute with former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong also sparked controversy. This was triggered when Won claimed at the party’s supreme council meeting on August 17 that "Lee told me, 'Candidate Yoon will be settled quickly.'" On the same night, Lee denied Won’s claim and released part of the recording, calming the controversy, but many criticized his lack of experience.

Some point out that senior party members are shaking the 30-something party leader. On the 30th, lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo, through the 'Youth’s Dream' website’s 'Q&A with Hong' section, responded to citizens’ related questions, saying, "Senior lawmakers who lost in the last party leadership election are ganging up and cornering the party leader like that, so the party is going downhill," and expressed concern, "The sidelined seniors are more focused on saving themselves than the presidential election. If the party leader is isolated, the presidential election will fail."

An expert analyzed that the various risks surrounding Lee were already foreseeable. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "It was quite predictable that such conflicts would arise for Lee, who lacks much political experience," but added, "More importantly, the bigger problem is candidate Yoon’s lack of leadership and political skills. The primary responsibility lies there."

The commentator continued, "During the presidential election phase, everything moves around the candidate. However, the campaign committee formation was delayed, the recruitment of former Chairman Kim failed, and lawmakers Hong and Yoo Seung-min did not join the campaign committee. On top of that, Lee’s issue arose," and elaborated, "The recent drop in Yoon’s approval ratings is because he failed to demonstrate political skills when he needed to. This happened as Yoon’s risks were exposed entering the presidential election phase."

He also emphasized the importance of recruiting Kim Jong-in. The commentator explained, "Internal party conflicts are inevitable. Especially for someone like candidate Yoon, who came from outside, there will be veto forces within the party," and added, "To overcome such situations, a figure with political skills like Kim Jong-in must assist by his side."

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