20·30 Approval Ratings Lag Behind Ahn for Yoon... 'Is Dissolving the Campaign Committee a Bold Move or a Self-Defeating Strategy?'

60 Days Before Presidential Election, Yoon Seok-yeol's Campaign Committee Abruptly Dissolved
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[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok, Oh Ju-yeon, Park Joon-yi] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, has dissolved the election campaign committee and reorganized it into a practical, candidate-centered campaign headquarters. He has severed ties with Kim Jong-in, the general campaign chairman, and has taken on the role of the supreme commander directing the election himself. With about 60 days left until the presidential election, this decisive move by the leading opposition party candidate has sparked intense interest regarding its potential impact on the upcoming election phase.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is holding a press conference related to the campaign headquarters at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 5th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On the morning of the 5th, Candidate Yoon held a press conference at the party headquarters to announce the dissolution of the campaign committee. Following this decision, the mammoth-sized campaign committee is expected to be disbanded and reorganized into 3 to 4 main divisions. This marks the end of the ‘Three Kims (Kim Jong-in, Kim Byung-joon, Kim Han-gil) system’ and the formation of a practical, working-level organization. Assemblyman Kwon Young-se will take charge as the head of the campaign headquarters. A secretariat is also expected to be established to unify the candidate’s schedule and messaging. It is reported that Yoon conveyed to all campaign leadership, including Chairman Kim, the intention that they should resign.

Thereafter, the presidential campaign will be operated under a campaign headquarters system with only the head remaining, without a campaign chairman or other leaders. This means the candidate will directly lead the entire election campaign without an intermediate command structure. Additionally, Candidate Yoon expressed, "I sincerely thanked Chairman Kim and asked him to continue offering good advice going forward," officially confirming the process of parting ways. The formal procedure is expected to be a dismissal.

However, Candidate Yoon chose coexistence with Lee Jun-seok, the People Power Party leader. He said, "Both Lee and I have received the same mandate from the people and party members," and added, "I expect him to fulfill his role well as party leader for the sake of the presidential election."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is entering the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 5th to hold a press conference related to the campaign headquarters. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Nevertheless, it is questionable whether such a drastic move as dissolving the campaign committee will serve as a turning point to reverse the election campaign. Previously, during the party primary, former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung also took drastic measures such as disbanding his camp and reorganizing into a practical campaign committee, but he was cut off without even making it into the top four in the primary. This indicates that moves like dissolving the campaign committee did not resonate strongly with the public.

In fact, red flags have appeared in Candidate Yoon’s approval ratings. According to a poll conducted by Realmeter commissioned by YTN from the 3rd to the 4th, surveying 1,024 men and women nationwide aged 18 to 39 (for detailed survey methodology, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website), Candidate Yoon trailed behind Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party (33.4%) and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party (19.1%). Although this poll targeted only the 20s and 30s age groups, excluding major supporters of Candidate Yoon such as those aged 60 and above, it is a serious situation that Yoon is trailing not only Lee but also Ahn. Moreover, the departure of Chairman Kim, who had played a mentor role for the politically inexperienced Candidate Yoon, is a painful blow. When arriving at his personal office in Gwanghwamun that day, Kim told reporters, "If our intentions do not align, we have no choice but to part ways," and added, "People say I am a kingmaker or staging a coup, but if I had that level of political judgment, I could no longer share the same intentions with him." It is also known that Kim mentioned the "national fortune has ended" the day before.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Party leader Lee expressed great concern over Chairman Kim’s mid-term departure. On a radio show, Lee said, "Whether it is a dismissal or a voluntary resignation is not the important thing; what matters greatly is whether we receive his assistance or not, and whether we are prepared to receive it or not, which is very concerning." Following Chairman Kim’s resignation, key figures associated with him, such as Strategy Planning Director Geum Tae-seop, Political Analysis Director Kim Geun-sik, and General Situation Headquarters Political Affairs Director Jeong Tae-geun, also left the campaign committee. Consequently, voices are emerging that the departure of Chairman Kim and his network, symbolic of expanding the moderate voter base, could disrupt the People Power Party’s presidential election strategy.

Candidate Yoon, who entered politics last June through a political participation declaration, was the undisputed top opposition presidential candidate but had to fight a tough battle. Allegations of prosecution’s involvement in a complaint scandal surfaced, and even when he finally decided to join the People Power Party, he faced criticism for ‘party leader bypassing’ as the party leader and leadership chose a day with local schedules. During the party primary, he was embroiled in controversies such as praising former President Chun Doo-hwan and the ‘revised apology’ issue, which allowed People Power Party candidate Hong Joon-pyo to close in on him. After becoming the presidential candidate, controversies arose over his wife Kim Geon-hee’s false credentials, raising questions about whether he truly embodied the ‘fairness and common sense’ he had advocated.

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