Yoo Seung-min, who won a landslide in public opinion, lost in party support: "I lost again like a fool"

Yoo Seung-min Loses Primary Despite Winning 60.31% in Poll
"I Lost to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol"
Growing Interest in a 'New Path' Amid Possibility of Political Retirement

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min was confirmed to have led significantly in the general public opinion polls but lost in the party member voting during the People Power Party's Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial primary. Yoo showed a 6:4 advantage in the so-called public sentiment polls.

On the 23rd, although the People Power Party's nomination management committee did not disclose the results, multiple sources confirmed that Yoo Seung-min received 60.31% of the votes in the party's Gyeonggi gubernatorial primary. This percentage is the average of two public opinion polls conducted by separate polling agencies, with one showing 57.56% and the other 63.05%. Meanwhile, Kim Eun-hye, the People Power Party lawmaker who won the primary, received an average of 39.70% in the polls.

While Yoo Seung-min led significantly in the public opinion polls, which accounted for 50% of the primary results, Kim Eun-hye's victory was thanks to the party members' votes. Yoo only garnered 28.82% in the party member voting, falling far behind Kim, who secured 71.18%.

In other words, Yoo led in public sentiment but was heavily outpaced in party sentiment.

After his defeat, Yoo posted on social media, "I lost again like a fool," adding, "The grudges of power are tremendous." Earlier, Yoo had fiercely competed against President-elect Yoon Seok-youl (then a candidate) during the People Power Party's presidential primary. Yoo launched a verification offensive against Yoon, causing difficulties for the latter. The "grudges" Yoo mentioned seem to refer to retaliations related to those events.

Indeed, the Gyeonggi primary was marked by controversy over "Yoon's mind" (Yoonshim), representing the president-elect's intentions. Kim, who served as the spokesperson for the president-elect until the new government was launched, resigned mid-term to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province. Additionally, the most senior Gyeonggi lawmaker, who held a key position on the nomination management committee, also resigned to become Kim's campaign committee chair. Furthermore, former National Assembly Deputy Speaker Shim Jae-cheol, who had launched attacks against Kim, resigned one after another and declared support for Kim.

Perhaps because of this, Yoo appealed in his final statement, "I believe in the free will of party members and their passionate desire for victory." The "free will" mentioned here was a plea for party members to vote based on their own judgment, not under anyone's orders.

Despite this appeal, Yoo was heavily defeated in party sentiment, leading him to say, "I lost in the battle against President-elect Yoon Seok-youl." Although he won the public sentiment, he could not overcome the party sentiment led by Yoonshim. He confessed his feelings, saying, "I wanted to be a 'salmon swimming upstream against the flowing river,' but the current was strong, and my strength was insufficient."

After losing the presidential primary, Yoo had considered retiring from politics but took a last stand in this election, calling it his "final chance to work." His plan was to open a new political opportunity by reclaiming Gyeonggi Province, a region weak for his party in the presidential election. Moreover, as he met citizens during the Gyeonggi gubernatorial primary, his interest in Gyeonggi-specific issues grew, and he appeared to regard this as a new political mission.

However, his defeat in the party primary erased any chance of a turnaround. As a result, Yoo's political position is expected to narrow further. Whether Yoo will leave politics remains to be seen. Regarding the series of events, he warned, "The world goes round and round, and the moon waxes and wanes," adding, "It was just like when the pro-Park Geun-hye faction danced with knives in 2016. The dance of power's knives eventually turns back on itself." He was warning of a downfall period that led to the crushing defeat of the Saenuri Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party), which had promised a majority, and later to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.

He also left open the possibility of a role by saying, "I will find a new path to serve the country I love."

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