The Civil War Continues... People Power Party Faces Hardline Supporter Dilemma

by Yoo Jaehoon

by Kim Pyeonghwa

Published 10 Feb.2026 11:15(KST)

The People Power Party, which has been in turmoil over the expulsion of former leader Han Donghoon, is now grappling with how to redefine its relationship with its hardline support base. With the 9th Nationwide Local Elections scheduled for June 3 approaching, expanding its appeal beyond its base is an urgent task, but the so-called "Yoon Again" faction has become a core dilemma. Because this faction accounts for a considerable portion of the People Power Party’s supporters, a complete break with them is not an easy task.

On February 9, People Power Party Supreme Council member Kim Minsu attended a debate hosted by conservative YouTubers and said, "The approval rating, which rose to 52% at the time of the impeachment, is now declining as you continue to chant Yoon Again," adding, "If we could have won with our own rallying cries alone, former President Yoon Suk Yeol would not have been impeached. Please look at this with a long-term perspective."

Yonhap News Agency

This implied the need to broaden the party’s appeal for electoral purposes. According to a public opinion poll conducted by Gallup Korea from February 3 to 5 (nationwide survey of 1,001 adults via telephone interviews, margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, response rate 12.2%), support for the People Power Party among centrist voters stands at only 17%.

On the same day, senior Supreme Council member Shin Dongwook appeared on SBS and said, "With four months left until the election, there is a consensus that we must now work for the centrist bloc." Non-leadership lawmaker Kim Yongtae of the People Power Party also said that day, "As the election approaches, people are starting to speak their minds," adding, "Yoon Again means certain defeat." However, it remains uncertain whether the People Power Party will be able to persuade its hardline supporters and move to expand its support base. The first-instance verdict in former President Yoon’s insurrection trial, scheduled for February 19, could serve as a barometer. People Power Party lawmaker Park Jungha appeared on MBC that day and assessed, "It seems the leadership is trying to protect itself while glossing over the demands of the Yoon Again faction in an ambiguous way."

Meanwhile, aftershocks from the internal conflict continue. The junior lawmakers’ group "Alternative and Future" demanded that a general meeting of lawmakers be convened, criticizing the People Power Party leadership’s decision to have the central party oversee nominations for heads of basic local governments with populations of 500,000 or more as a "regression of intra-party democracy."