"Makjang Family Feud" vs "Party Leader Shake-up": People Power Party Faces Worst Conflict Ahead of Presidential Election

Lee Jun-seok Abruptly Resigns After One Day of Conflict with Jo Su-jin

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, is leaving a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, after having a lunch meeting with Kim Jong-in, the general election campaign committee chairman, on the 22nd. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "What are you doing ahead of the presidential election!", "Let's see who is more at fault."

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, has been expressing discomfort toward presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol day after day. On the party's internal bulletin board, posts calling for Lee's resignation and even for replacing the presidential candidate have been appearing.

As internal party conflicts intensify, a poll result showed that Yoon's approval rating has dropped. He lost support among people in their 20s and the moderate middle ground, leading some to criticize whether the People Power Party truly desires a regime change.

In a recent radio appearance, Lee criticized Yoon's behavior during the conflict with Cho Su-jin, the party's supreme council member, and openly targeted the so-called 'Yoon Core Group' (key associates of Yoon Seok-yeol) with harsh criticism. It was essentially a pointed critique of Yoon and his core group.

On the 22nd, appearing on CBS Radio's 'One Match', Lee expressed his surprise at Yoon referring to the conflict between him and Cho as 'democracy,' saying, "I was very taken aback," and added, "If the situation with Councilor Cho had been properly conveyed, this wouldn't be something to be evaluated within the realm of democracy. I pondered for about 10 seconds on how to interpret that remark."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is delivering a greeting on the morning of the 23rd during his visit to the planned site for the AI Data Center within the AI-centered Industrial Convergence Complex in Buk-gu, Gwangju.

Earlier, on the 20th, after visiting a public postpartum care center in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, Yoon met with reporters and commented on the clash between Lee and Cho, saying, "In politics, even within the same party or election organization, people can have different thoughts," and added, "How can it be carried out so flawlessly like a military operation? Isn't that democracy?"

Lee also criticized the situation following the 'Ulsan meeting.' He said, "One of the declarations Yoon made regarding the Ulsan agreement was 'If Lee Jun-seok says to do it, do it; if he says not to, don't do it,' which I interpreted as guaranteeing autonomous operation and decision-making authority for the campaign headquarters," and continued, "So I thought it was settled, but when it was actually tested, Yoon did not act and instead reprimanded me. It was an expression mixed with feelings of disappointment."

In particular, Lee mentioned, "If someone betrayed the candidate and caused trouble, immediate action should be taken to dismiss them. Even if the public relations director plays the role of a dove, if the dove distorts the message, it should be cut off."

Photo by Screenshot from the People Power Party website's 'I Have Something to Say' board

Amid what is essentially an internal party turmoil, posts criticizing Lee and calling for Yoon's replacement have been appearing on the People Power Party's website bulletin board titled 'I Have Something to Say.' One party supporter vented, "Lee Jun-seok and Yoon Seok-yeol should both resign." Another supporter raised their voice, saying, "Do you even want a regime change?" and "Stop stirring up trouble to some extent."

Meanwhile, Kim, a man in his 30s who identified himself as an opposition supporter, criticized, "Isn't this an attempt to shake the party leader? What are they doing after electing a leader in his 30s?" Another supporter in their 50s pointed out, "Recently, Lee and Yoon have shown several good sides," and added, "The problem lies with Yoon's close associates."

In this context, Lee directly targeted the 'Yoon Core Group' and unleashed harsh criticism. On the same radio program on the 22nd, Lee said, "I rather think there was sowing discord between the candidate and me. Even Jang Je-won said not to betray the candidate's intentions," and added, "So it reached the point where we wondered if the candidate actually said he was disappointed."

Also, on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' that day, Lee stated, "(Jang) said that Im Tae-hee, the general headquarters chief, badmouths the candidate's wife. Joo Ho-young, the organization headquarters chief, also hears bad things here and there," and "He listed people in the campaign headquarters and criticized them. Jang declared himself as part of the 'Core Group.'"

Jang Je-won, Member of the People Power Party Photo by Yonhap News

In response to being publicly identified and criticized as part of the 'Yoon Core Group,' Jang Je-won announced on his Facebook on the 23rd that he "will not respond." Jang said, "Why wouldn't I have something to say about insulting personal attacks?" but added, "However, at this critical time with about 70 days left until the presidential election, the party cannot show the public a scene of being mired in a mudslinging fight." He continued, "I will devote myself sincerely to the tasks I must do. I will endure and endure again."

Amid conflicts such as the unprecedented resignation of the party leader from the campaign headquarters position ahead of the presidential election, a poll released on the 23rd showed that Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, leads Yoon in a multi-candidate race.

According to the nationwide indicator survey (NBS) results for the fourth week of December, jointly conducted and announced by four polling agencies?Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research?Lee received 35% support in the next presidential candidate preference, leading Yoon, who had 29%, by a 6 percentage point margin.

It is interpreted that allegations of false credentials against Yoon's wife, Kim Geon-hee, and Lee Jun-seok's resignation as the standing election campaign committee chairman influenced the decline.

Yoon's approval rating showed significant losses among people in their 20s and the moderate middle ground. Support among those in their 20s dropped sharply from 28% two weeks ago to 18%, a 10 percentage point fall, and support among moderates fell from 35% to 23%.

On the other hand, Lee gained 21% support among people in their 20s, narrowly leading Yoon within the margin of error, and secured 31% among moderates, overtaking Yoon. When asked about election prospects, Lee led with 41% compared to Yoon's 32%.

In the perception survey on this presidential election, opinions on government stability and regime judgment were tied at 42%. The government stability opinion remained at 42% as in the survey two weeks ago, but the regime judgment opinion dropped by 4 percentage points.

When asked about opinions on family background verification of presidential candidates, 68% responded "Of course," while 28% said "Inappropriate," showing that the perception that verification is necessary is nearly three times higher. This survey was conducted from the 20th to the 22nd over three days, targeting 1,000 men and women nationwide aged 18 and over, with a response rate of 24.3%. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

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