Yoon Seok-yeol and Choi Jae-hyung 'One Team Distancing'

Notice of Absence from All-Candidates Meeting
Did Not Participate in Day-Before Volunteer Work at Jjokbangchon
Top 1 and 2 Candidates Absent
People Power Party One-Team Image Not Maintained
Intra-Party Candidate Rivalry Intensifies

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Boryeong Geum] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung once again did not attend the gathering of the People Power Party's presidential candidates. As the candidates leading the polls in first and second place, their absence has led to evaluations that the 'one team' image is not being formed. The existing party members have begun to actively check the two recently joined candidates.

The People Power Party will hold a meeting of all preliminary presidential candidates at the National Assembly main building on the afternoon of the 5th. By the morning of that day, among the 13 candidates, former Prosecutor General Yoon, former Chairman Choi, and lawmakers Park Jin and Hong Joon-pyo had notified their absence.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon and lawmaker Hong are on vacation. They also did not participate in the volunteer activity at the Seoul Station shantytown organized by the People Power Party's primary preparation committee the day before. Yoon posted a photo with his pet dog on his Instagram, adding hashtags '#YoonSeok-yeol' and '#VacationStart'.

Former Chairman Choi visited the Seoul National Cemetery on the day and will visit the Yeongnam region including Changwon, Daegu, and Gyeongju for three days and two nights. After paying respects at the cemetery, Choi told reporters, "I regret not being able to attend, but I had an unavoidable schedule," adding, "I will have someone else attend and relay the opinions decided there." Lawmaker Park could not attend as he is in self-quarantine after contact with a COVID-19 positive individual.

Former Jeju Governor and People Power Party presidential candidate Won Hee-ryong is expressing his thoughts after completing the preliminary candidate registration for the 20th presidential election at the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 5th. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Competitors have begun to sharpen their criticism. Former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong, after registering as a preliminary candidate and meeting with reporters that day, said, "I am closely watching whether former Prosecutor General Yoon is unprepared or if his life and thoughts are filled with outdated ideas that do not fit the times," adding, "Former Chairman Choi's declaration of candidacy was extremely disappointing. If you are not ready to prove yourself, study and gain experience first, then challenge later."

There are also complaints that the party leadership is pushing the schedule too aggressively. Lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung, after announcing a labor reform pledge that day, told reporters, "I hope the party leadership deeply considers that their excessive enthusiasm to hold a one-team primary is causing the one-team intention to be damaged," adding, "It is regrettable that the party leadership is planning events that make it appear as if there are problems within the one team. I will attend, but I have regrets."

The People Power Party is cautious that this issue might be perceived as a conflict with the party leader. After the Supreme Council meeting that day, the party leader said to reporters, "I do not decide the primary schedule set by the primary preparation committee, nor does the Supreme Council intervene," adding, "The volunteer activity was also prepared by the primary committee, so if the camp interprets it as a conflict with the party leader, it would hurt the members of the primary committee."