Pardon Requests and Jeon Hangil Infighting Shake People Power Party's Response to Cho Kuk

The People Power Party has been unable to gain momentum in its attacks against the ruling bloc over the first round of special pardons issued by the Lee Jaemyung administration, which included prominent figures such as Cho Kuk, former leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, and former lawmaker Yoon Mihyang. This is because the legitimacy of their criticism has been weakened by the inclusion of opposition figures requested by the party leadership on the pardon list, and because the party has been hamstrung by internal strife triggered by conservative YouTuber Jeon Hangil.

On August 12, the People Power Party leadership will hold an emergency on-site meeting of the Emergency Response Committee in Busan, where the second joint speech of the party convention is scheduled to take place. In order to calm the internal strife that escalated during the first joint speech due to Jeon's disruptive actions, the party canceled a previously scheduled parliamentary strategy meeting at the National Assembly.

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Although the party had initially planned to launch a concentrated offensive over the Liberation Day special pardons, including those for Cho Kuk and others, it has now prioritized resolving its internal turmoil. With President Lee's approval ratings declining amid recent controversies such as lawmaker Lee Choonseok's alleged stock trading under borrowed names and debates over capital gains tax on stocks, the party had hoped to use the pardons as an opportunity to turn public opinion around. However, both internal and external circumstances have proven challenging.

First, there is analysis that the inclusion of opposition figures such as former lawmakers Hong Moonjong, Jeong Chanmin, and Shim Hakbong?who were requested for pardon by Song Eonseok, the Emergency Response Committee chair and floor leader?has undermined the party's justification for an aggressive offensive. Although Song held an emergency press conference immediately after the pardon list was announced the previous day, criticizing it as "a blanket amnesty for Cho Kuk loyalists and the worst kind of political pardon," he did not offer a clear stance when asked about the pardons for opposition figures. On BBS Radio that day, People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Seongguk stated, "It was clearly a mistake to have provided grounds for the pardons (for Cho Kuk and others)," and added, "As a result, the leadership finds itself in an awkward position, since the people they requested for pardon were included in the list."

The chaos at the party convention caused by Jeon Hangil and the resulting internal strife are also holding the party back. Although the party belatedly imposed a ban on Jeon's entry to party events, Jeon himself has announced his intention to attend the joint speech event that day, making further disturbances all but inevitable.

With Jeon having signaled his intention to attend, there are concerns about possible physical clashes between the party and Jeon's supporters. In practice, there is little the party can do to prevent Jeon from broadcasting on YouTube outside the event venue. The party's election management committee stated, "It will be difficult for him to enter the speech hall, but we cannot restrict him from being outside."

Within political circles, there is a prevailing view that the party's sluggish approach to disciplinary action against Jeon has exacerbated the situation. The party's Central Ethics Committee began disciplinary proceedings against Jeon the previous day but failed to reach a conclusion. Although there had been expectations that the level of disciplinary action would be determined that day, the decision was postponed to August 14 due to the need for further explanation procedures. One People Power Party lawmaker serving a second term criticized the delayed response, saying, "The party's Ethics Committee should have handled this directly from the start, rather than leaving it to the Seoul City Party." The lawmaker added, "If there had been a genuine will to resolve the issue, the disciplinary process should have been completed yesterday. This situation is one the leadership has brought upon itself."

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