Ju Isaac, Young Basic Councilor, Points Out Problems with People Power Party and Ahn Cheol-soo, Then Leaves Party
"Running for Seoul Mayor Was a Chance to Regain Trust but Was Rejected"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Joo Isaac, a member of the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Council affiliated with the People’s Party, expressed disappointment in party leader Ahn Cheol-soo and resigned from the party on the 30th. Councilor Joo, a former deputy spokesperson of the party, was born in 1988 and gained attention after being elected as a basic council member in the 2018 local elections, despite the party’s crushing defeat.
On the same day, Councilor Joo posted a message titled “A Statement on Leaving the Party” on his Facebook, pointing out his regrets about the current state of the party and Ahn’s political decisions.
He said about the People’s Party, “The ‘green’ People’s Party, which once became the third centrist force by securing 38 seats in the National Assembly with the second-highest party vote share, has disappeared. The current ‘scarlet’ People’s Party, shrunk to just three seats in the National Assembly, has no real power and thus cannot play any role in actual policy decisions.”
Councilor Joo added, “In politics, the opposite of ‘power’ is ‘individual skill.’ In other words, it is the popularity of a particular politician. Since our respected leader Ahn Cheol-soo is a prominent politician, his messages are delivered through YouTube or broadcasts, leaving a faint ripple effect. However, as we experienced with the ‘green’ People’s Party, individual skill alone can never lead to governance.”
He criticized the party for repeatedly failing over the past four years and becoming a political force that now needs to regain ‘retrust’ through a ‘second challenge.’ He emphasized, “In other words, the public’s evaluation is whether it is ‘a force capable of governing.’ Especially, the uncomfortable public perception toward Leader Ahn is, ‘We see that you have a good heart because you do medical volunteer work, and we know you are competent because you have experience as a doctor, professor, and CEO managing a company. But you just can’t do politics.’ This perception must be changed.”
Councilor Joo viewed the upcoming April by-election for Seoul mayor as the last chance to regain ‘retrust’ by having Leader Ahn elected and proving that he is a capable political force.
He said, “The administrative authority of Seoul City is a very important factor that can prove the political capability of any political force or individual. It is a good opportunity to show that ‘politics is done well.’ Especially, just having the authority of the head of a local government like the Seoul mayor can sufficiently check the current central administration and the ruling party.”
However, Councilor Joo expressed disappointment, saying, “I was shocked to read an interview article where Leader Ahn himself said, ‘I will never run for Seoul mayor.’ In this case, simply put, despite receiving both public expectations and concerns, we ourselves sent a message that we would ‘not run in the Seoul mayoral election’ and thus threw away the opportunity.”
He pointed out, “It’s not that we ‘can’t’ make a second challenge, but that we showed we ‘won’t.’ Since we said we would not field a mayoral candidate, it is relatively interpreted as a challenge for the presidency. But this also skips the process of ‘retrust for a second challenge,’ so the presidential bid appears to rely on ‘individual skill’ and luck.”
Councilor Joo said, “Personally, I have been doing legislative activities while receiving the miserable question, ‘How long will you stay in your party?’ As a responsible party member who has held various roles, I have reflected deeply on how we reached this situation and thought countless times about what I can do in my position. As a result, I concluded that I must leave the party.” He added, “I judged that there is no longer a role I can play in a party that has a prominent politician but throws away the opportunity to regain trust and does not know how to shake up the political landscape.”
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