Election D-68, Main Office and Department Head Troubles: Yoon's New Year 'Reversal Card'

Seeking a Turnaround in Atmosphere with Policy Announcement
Designating the 1st of Next Month as Pledge Speech Day
Encouraging Supporter Unity through Bold Statements

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, visited the construction suspension site of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk, on the afternoon of the 29th, announcing nuclear power pledges including a full review of the nuclear phase-out policy and the immediate resumption of construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, who has been unable to escape a decline in approval ratings amid various adversities, has devised a strategy to reverse the mood through policy announcements. He plans to run a policy-centered election campaign in the new year to shed the label of being an "unprepared" candidate.

Candidate Yoon has designated the 1st of next month as "Pledge Unboxing Day." This election campaign strategy aims to showcase his capabilities through policy activities from the very first day of the new year. On this day, Yoon will introduce the "Pledge Platform" at a house cafe in Yeouido, Seoul. The pledge platform is a kind of gateway designed to help people easily understand the pledges. A People Power Party election committee official stated, "Starting from early in the year until mid-year, we will release a variety of pledges across political, economic, and social fields."

The pledges officially announced by the election committee so far include protection for crime victims (10th), real estate tax reform (23rd), supply of public rental housing and support for single-parent families (24th), and capital market advancement (27th). Candidate Yoon is said to have prioritized stabilizing the election committee and ordered most schedules to be kept free until mid-next month to focus on creating policies.

The possibility of a turnaround in approval ratings depends on how the conflict with Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, who is regarded as causing "internal strife," is resolved. Lee resigned from his position as the standing election committee chairman, expressing dissatisfaction with the committee appointments. Candidate Yoon has, for now, entrusted Kim Jong-in, the overall election committee chairman, with resolving Lee's resignation issue, but if Yoon personally intervenes, it could attract the attention of supporters. On this day, Chairman Kim and Leader Lee had lunch together.

There is also a high possibility that Candidate Yoon, who has recently attracted attention for his "rough remarks," will continue to make strong statements regarding the Daejang-dong issue and the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office. This suggests an intention to reveal the "Yoon Seok-yeol style" of the past while encouraging consolidation of his support base. A People Power Party official said, "Approval ratings may fall further until mid-next month, but we will show a new image through policies."

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