In the End, Only Negativity Remains... Ruling Party Convention Turns into a "Mud-Slinging Match" Until the Last Moment

Controversy Grows Over Presidential Office's Support for a Candidate
Heavy Burden on Next Leadership to Mend Party Divisions

With just one day left until the People Power Party convention, the campaign has devolved into an overheated "mud-slinging match" dominated by negative campaigning. Amid controversy over allegations that a presidential office official supported a particular candidate, candidates have called for a thorough investigation. At the same time, even the so-called "Lee Junseok faction," which has positioned itself as a force for reform conservatism, became embroiled in a heated dispute involving a female lawmaker and accusations of appearance-based insults. As conflicts over party leadership intensify, the burden on the next leadership team to mend these divisions has grown heavier.

As of 1 p.m. on March 7, the voter turnout for the convention to elect the next People Power Party leadership reached 54%. This is the highest turnout in history, surpassing the final party member turnout of 45.36% at the 2021 convention. The mobile voting rate for the convention, at 47.5%, also set a new record. While public interest in the convention is unprecedented, the content of the event has been disappointing. Rather than presenting a vision for the future, the public discourse has been dominated by controversies over "Yoon's support," allegations of speculation by specific candidates, and ideological accusations.

Ahn Cheolsoo (from the left), Hwang Kyoan, Kim Kihyun, and Chun Haram, candidates for the party leader of the People Power Party, are holding hands and greeting each other at the 3rd Party Convention Seoul·Incheon·Gyeonggi Joint Speech Meeting held at Goyang Gymnasium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

The "mud-slinging match" continued even on March 7, the day before the convention. Candidates Ahn Cheolsoo and Hwang Kyoan held a press conference at the National Assembly that afternoon, announcing their intention to file a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against Kang Seungkyu, Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Society. This was due to allegations that administrators in the Civil Society Secretary's Office expressed support for candidate Kim Kihyun in a group chat. As controversy over alleged intervention by the presidential office in the convention reached its peak, an unprecedented situation unfolded in which a ruling party leader candidate decided to file a complaint against the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Society.

Elsewhere, a war of words over appearance erupted. During a heated exchange between former Supreme Council member Bae Hyunjin, who is supporting four candidates in this convention, and former party leader Lee Junseok, Bae made disparaging remarks about Lee's appearance. In response, Lee Giin, a candidate for Youth Supreme Council from the "Lee Junseok faction," shared on his social media an article by announcer Oh Sangjin, who commented that Bae Hyunjin's bare face resembles entertainer Yoo Jaeseok.

The negative campaigning at the convention is problematic in itself, but it is expected to become an even bigger issue after the event concludes. The People Power Party still bears the trauma of splitting into pro-Park and pro-Lee factions following negative expos?s during the primary for the presidential candidate of its predecessor, the Grand National Party. The scandals revealed at that time led to both former presidents being imprisoned. Even after a new leadership is formed, the negative attacks and factional strife that surfaced during the convention are likely to leave deep wounds within the party for some time.

In particular, with talk of political realignment already circulating ahead of next year's general election in the first half of the year, there is a possibility that divisions within the ruling bloc could escalate into a full-blown party split. On March 6, Cho Wonjin, leader of the Our Republican Party, said on YTN's "News King Park Jihoon," "Given the political behavior of the non-Yoon faction, there will inevitably be significant changes in the political landscape by March or April, before the regular National Assembly session," adding, "They themselves will be the targets of candidate nomination purges or reshuffles."

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