Ruling Party's Internal Conflict Deepens, Lee Jun-seok and Ahn Cheol-soo Clash Over 'Anonymous Reports' and 'Jirasi' Daily

Anonymous Interview, Rumors, and Even Jirasi... Malicious Gossip Causes Confusion
Lee "Not a Coincidence", Ahn "Someone Is Spreading Lies"

People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok (right) and Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo. / Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Internal conflicts within the People Power Party are escalating. Representative Lee Jun-seok is engaged in daily confrontations not only with the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction but also with Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo, with whom he has a long-standing 'bad relationship.' Recently, malicious rumors about both Lee and Ahn have been circulating, deepening distrust and conflict within the party.

Ahead of the party ethics committee's disciplinary review scheduled for the 7th of next month regarding allegations of sexual bribery, Representative Lee is actively counterattacking the attacks against him. He has shown particularly sharp reactions and harsh remarks concerning Assemblyman Ahn. On the 29th, when Ahn said in a media interview the day before that Lee "might have wounds from the 2016 general election defeat," Lee retorted, "It seems Assemblyman Ahn is still living in 2016. Enjoy that forever."

Lee and Ahn ran against each other in the 2016 general election as candidates for the People's Party and the Saenuri Party in Seoul Nowon-byeong, respectively. Ahn won with a 52.33% vote share, while Lee received 31.32%, placing second and losing.

The two also exchanged sharp messages just two days prior. When Ahn appeared to ally with the pro-Yoon faction amid the party's leadership struggle, Lee posted on Facebook on the 24th, "I think I'll be drinking a bowl of soy sauce all next week." 'Soy sauce' was interpreted as a play on Ahn's nickname 'Gancheolsu' (meaning 'Ahn who gauges the situation') and the surname of pro-Yoon lawmaker Jang Je-won, a representative figure of the faction. Ahn did not back down and immediately responded, "(Lee) must be burning up inside."

On the 29th, Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party (center), is inspecting the site of Yeongilman Bridge at Yeonorang Seonyeo Theme Park in Donghae-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Yonhap News.

Meanwhile, on the 29th, coincidentally, an 'anonymous interview' and a 'jirasi' (rumor leaflet) related to Lee and Ahn became controversial simultaneously, further exposing mutual distrust. When an anonymous interview report from a 'key ruling party official' claimed that President Yoon rejected Lee's request for a meeting, Lee stated, "Someone is deliberately conducting anonymous interviews to sow discord between the Blue House and the party. These anonymous reports keep popping up, and when the Blue House refutes them, I have to clarify my position. I believe this is not a coincidence."

Ahn's side also denied a circulating jirasi within a meeting of current and former party district committee chairpersons that claimed "Assemblyman Ahn hinted at a bid for the next party leadership," calling it "a completely baseless fabricated post" and saying "someone maliciously spread lies to divert attention away from themselves to others." Both Lee and Ahn suspect there are forces behind the anonymous reports or malicious rumors targeting them, indicating that the party's internal strife has deepened to a level difficult to resolve.

As the intense power struggle that worsened after the June 1 local elections continues for nearly a month, fatigue is also showing within the party. Three-term veteran lawmaker Kim Tae-ho criticized on Facebook, "The people are suffering from the triple hardships of high inflation, high interest rates, and high exchange rates, but the ruling party seems to be embroiled in internal strife. I fear this might appear as arrogance to the public. The National Assembly cannot even open its doors due to the tyranny of the major opposition party, so this is not the time to fight among ourselves."

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