Why Did Lee Jun-seok and Cheon A-yongin Create the Team Blog 'Gogonghaengjin'?

People Power Party Reform Faction Cheon A-yongin... Launches Independent Platform
"Purpose is to Leave Reform Faction's Concerns in Writing"

Former People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok and the group Cheon-A-Yongin (Cheon Ha-ram, Heo Eun-ah, Kim Yong-tae, Lee Gi-in) continue their reform efforts. Cheon-A-Yongin is a reform faction within the PPP formed around the recent party convention, and they have launched an independent platform to share writings reflecting their thoughts on reform.

On the 17th, former leader Lee announced the launch of the team blog 'Gogonghaengjin' on his Facebook. He explained that the blog's purpose is "to leave the reform faction's concerns in writing," and that 'Gogonghaengjin' means "people who worry, study, and act sincerely."

On the 12th of last month, Cheon Ha-ram (second from the left), a candidate for the People Power Party leadership, held a press conference at a restaurant near the National Assembly with Kim Yong-tae (fourth from the left), Heo Eun-ah (third from the left), candidates for the People Power Party Supreme Council, and Lee Ki-in, candidate for the People Power Party Youth Supreme Council, and made remarks. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He stated, "I hope this space will go beyond answering someone's questions on broadcasts and instead address various issues facing South Korea with pure personal thoughts," adding, "Candidates from Cheon-A-Yongin, myself, and many other contributors plan to take turns posting articles."

Cheon-A-Yongin, formed under the banner of the "four reform candidates," faced opposition from pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) figures throughout the March 8 PPP leadership race. This was because former leader Lee, who is in opposition to the pro-Yoon faction, served as the general director of Cheon-A-Yongin, leading their election campaign.

Cheon-A-Yongin also strongly expressed their reform intentions by criticizing the pro-Yoon and Yoon core group (Yoon Hae-gwan). At a luncheon meeting on the day of Cheon-A-Yongin's formation on the 12th of last month, PPP party leader candidate Cheon Ha-ram said, "If the headline reads 'The wind of reform is blocked by Yoon's heart and Yoon core group,' it would be despairing as a member of the PPP," and added, "We will bring an irreversible wind of change."

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok is holding a press conference on current issues including the party convention at the National Assembly Communication Office on the morning of the 3rd, referencing the novel Our Twisted Hero. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Even after the primary, former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yongin were effectively excluded by the newly elected leadership, citing reasons of harming party unity. Kim Jae-won, senior supreme council member of the PPP, raised his voice, saying, "The politics of former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yongin belong to the past that must be cleared away."

On the 9th, shortly after the primary, he appeared on YTN Radio's 'Issue & People' and commented on the convention results, saying, "Although they claimed party reform, in reality, they mainly focused on attacking other candidates," and criticized, "The political behavior at the level of former leader Lee, further causing internal party strife and distorting the party's decision-making process while only thinking about their political position, breaking discipline?these many actions should now stop, reflecting the will of the party members."

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo criticized them as a faction pretending to reform without actual reform. On the 10th, Mayor Hong wrote on his Facebook, "People who talked about youth politics without any youth policies, who only babbled, were severely judged by party members in this convention. They should reflect and restrain themselves," targeting former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yongin.

Meanwhile, although Cheon-A-Yongin predicted a surge in the convention, none of its members succeeded in entering the leadership. In the convention results, candidates Kim Yong-tae and Heo Eun-ah, who ran for supreme council member, received 10.87% (99,115 votes) and 9.90% (90,276 votes) respectively, while Lee Gi-in, who challenged for youth supreme council member, recorded 18.71%.

Candidate Cheon was also evaluated as having performed better than expected. He garnered 14.98% (69,122 votes), showing his presence, surpassing former Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, who received 8.72% (40,225 votes).

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