Yoo Seung-min Under Scrutiny Amid 'Yoon-sim' Controversy... 'TV Debate Notice Also Omitted'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The People Power Party has been embroiled in controversy over alleged presidential influence (Yoon-sim, referring to the intentions of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol) after failing to announce the TV debate schedule for the Gyeonggi Province governor primary candidates, one of the most fiercely contested races in the June 1 local elections. The head-to-head debate among the Gyeonggi governor primary candidates is one of the party's biggest draws, but there is speculation that the schedule was deliberately withheld to prevent former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, one of the candidates, from gaining prominence.

Notices such as the Gyeonggi Province Governor debate were separately announced one and a half hours after the debate notice was posted.

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According to political circles on the 19th, the People Power Party posted an official notice on its Facebook page the previous day outlining the TV debate schedules for metropolitan and basic local government candidates. However, the announcement for the Gyeonggi governor debate between former lawmaker Yoo and lawmaker Kim Eun-hye was omitted. Under the headline "People Power Party is the power of the region," the notice included details about when and on which broadcasts TV debates for candidates such as Ulsan, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Gyeongnam, Jeju, and the mayoral candidate for Suwon would take place, but the Gyeonggi debate scheduled for 5:40 p.m. that same day was missing. The party later posted a separate notice about the debate between Yoo and Kim an hour and a half later.

According to our investigation, Yoo’s campaign raised concerns about this omission. A campaign official said, "We confirmed the omission and raised the issue with the party." However, they refrained from commenting on whether the omission was intentional or the background behind it.

Nevertheless, inside and outside the party, there is an interpretation that the party sought to limit exposure opportunities for Yoo, who has strengths in debates, by leveraging Yoon-sim. The controversy over Yoon-sim has persisted since former National Assembly Deputy Speaker Shim Jae-cheol withdrew from the Gyeonggi governor primary and declared support for Kim. When Shim announced his withdrawal, the party’s public relations channels actively disseminated the news. Additionally, Park Soo-young, a People Power Party lawmaker serving as a political advisor to President-elect Yoon, publicly expressed support for Kim, drawing attention. Park actively introduced interviews with Kim and repeatedly highlighted polls showing Kim in the lead. This is an unexpected move from Park, who had been cautious about expressing political positions since his appointment as a special advisor.

Yoo’s camp has not taken an active stance in responding to the Yoon-sim controversy. There is a clear sentiment against escalating the issue into an internal party conflict. At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Yoo said, "What President-elect Yoon wants most in this local election is a victory in the general election, especially winning the Gyeonggi governor race, which will determine the outcome of the local elections," adding, "I believe Yoon-sim reflects the will of the people." This implies that President-elect Yoon will support the candidate with the best chance of winning in the general election.

Former People Power Party election committee chairman Kim Jong-in appeared on CBS radio and expressed concern, saying, "The nature of political parties in our country is that they keep worrying about whether the president is interested or not, but if parties continue like that, they have no future," and added, "If organizations and governments simply follow orders, they cannot be stable."

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