Jang Visits U.S. 50 Days Before Election... Concerns Over Prioritizing Strategy Over Votes

Concerns Grow Within the Party Over Efforts to Rally the Hardline Conservative Base

With 50 days remaining until the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections scheduled for June 3, concerns are growing within the People Power Party over the sudden visit to the United States by party leader Jang Donghyuk. There is also criticism that Jang’s actions, which appear to be aimed at rallying the hardline conservative base, may be intended as a strategic move to prepare for the post-election period.

On April 15 (local time), Jang is scheduled to visit both the White House and the State Department in Washington, D.C. During the remainder of his visit to the United States, he plans to hold a roundtable meeting with the International Republican Institute (IRI) and meet with members of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as various Korean-American community organizations.

Yonhap News Agency

Accompanying Supreme Council member Kim Minsu made public his meeting the previous day with Joe Gruters, Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC). Gruters is an advocate of 'election integrity.' During his meeting with Kim, Gruters stated, "Vote more, cheat less." Kim also serves as co-chair of the party’s Fair Election Task Force. This rhetoric is regarded as a softened version of 'election fraud' allegations, and is seen as an appeal to the hardline conservative base.

It has been reported that Jang's team is working to arrange meetings with key high-level figures through religious networks. Accompanying lawmaker Kim Daesik previously met with Paula White, Chair of the White House Faith Advisory Board, early last year. One senior member of the People Power Party commented, "In reality, this is aimed at far-right YouTubers and their supporters," adding, "It's more about preparing for what comes after the election than the election itself." Another party official said, "Meeting with high-level figures is a good thing," but noted that "it is a separate issue from the election results."

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