Jeon Gwang-hoon of "Decision to Leave"... Will the Democratic Party Cut Ties with the "Asphalt Conservatives"?

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church announced on the 17th that he would hold a press conference declaring a 'breakup' with the People Power Party, drawing attention to whether the so-called far-right faction known as the 'asphalt conservatives' and the People Power Party might part ways as a result. Conservative camp officials analyze Pastor Jeon's breakup declaration as a strategic move to further expand his influence, but there are also voices hoping this will lead to a severance from the far-right forces.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, former leader of the United Future Party, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 17th, "Pastor Jeon is the person who founded the Liberty Unification Party. So why would he declare a breakup with our party when there is no relation?" He added that it is "hard to recognize the sincerity" of Pastor Jeon's 'breakup declaration.' He suggested that Pastor Jeon still wants to influence the People Power Party but is hiding his true intentions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Pastor Jeon is expected to hold an emergency press conference at Sarang Jeil Church in the morning to declare a breakup with the People Power Party and announce an independent course. However, many question the sudden breakup declaration from someone who has long claimed influence over the People Power Party by saying "they must be under my control."

Representative Hwang viewed the background of Pastor Jeon's breakup declaration as an attempt to exert influence. He said, "He wanted to influence our party anyway, and since things did not go well as he wished within the party, he is seeking another direction." He added, "The method itself is not good either. He should honestly tell the people, 'I want to work with the People Power Party. Things didn’t work out with our party, but some things are still lacking, so let's fix those together.'"

Cho Won-jin, leader of the Our Republican Party, also pointed out on YTN's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon' that "Pastor Jeon says he is breaking ties with the People Power Party, but they are already broken," and criticized, "He says he is breaking with the People Power Party but holding rallies for President Yoon Seok-youl's success, which is contradictory."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, there are positive views regarding Pastor Jeon's breakup declaration. Kim Geun-sik, former head of vision and strategy for the People Power Party, said on CBS Radio, "불감청고소 (不敢請固所願, meaning 'I dare not ask, but I wish for it')," and added, "their forces and claims pose a significant risk to the direction our party should take ahead of next year's general election." He said that Pastor Jeon's voluntary breakup declaration ahead of the general election is a positive signal.

Within the party, there are also voices expressing displeasure over the 'breakup declaration.' Tae Young-ho, a supreme council member, said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "Today, he is making another breakup declaration, but I don’t understand what there is to break up with all of a sudden," adding, "It is really inappropriate to frame it as if our party had any ties with Pastor Jeon or had expectations from him."

Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, criticized the ruling party through social media the day before, saying, "Those who should hold hands are cutting ties, and those who should be cut off are cutting ties with us, leading to a humiliating situation," and questioned, "Can such a huge ruling party be led with such ignorance of order and context?"

The suspicion of collusion between Pastor Jeon and the People Power Party arose when Supreme Council Member Kim attended his worship service and made far-right remarks. Hong, who was the party’s standing advisor, criticized this and called for disciplinary action against Kim, leading to a verbal dispute with party leader Kim Ki-hyun and eventually resulting in Hong’s dismissal from the advisory position.

On the 10th, members of conservative groups including the Liberty Unification Party led by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon held the "Ten Million Signature National Rally for Liberty and Unification" around Sejong-daero, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

This is why there are calls for a process to decisively sever Pastor Jeon's influence to heal the wounds. Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party lawmaker, said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' "Pastor Jeon himself is not a party member, but there are dual party members recommended by him who are interfering in our party’s convention through him." He added, "Dual party membership is illegal under the Political Parties Act, so if Leader Kim conducts a thorough investigation and removes as many dual members as possible, then Hong’s concerns will be addressed and the relationship between the two can be restored."

There is also a high possibility of disciplinary action against Supreme Council Member Kim. Ha said, "In my view, it is a somewhat belated disciplinary action, but nonetheless, the majority opinion within the party is that it is necessary."

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