Yoon Seok-yeol's Second National Appeal... 'Regime Change' Mentioned 6 Times (Comprehensive)

Press Conference at National Assembly Communication Office
"Joining the Party Is Solely for Regime Change"
Winning Deals the Most Painful Defeat to the Moon Jae-in Regime

Recent Polls Show Virtual Two-Party Race
Still Ahead of Lee Jae-myung but Gap with Hong, Yoo, and Won Narrows
Cannot Be Optimistic About Primary Results

People Power Party's presidential primary candidate Yoon Seok-yeol is greeting after announcing a public support appeal at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 28th. 2021.10.28 Photo by National Assembly Press Corps [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon, Lee Hyun-joo] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, four months after declaring his entry into politics, has made a last-ditch appeal to the public as his "second national appeal." At his first press conference on June 29, he advocated for a "regime change for a fair Republic of Korea," and the message he delivered on the 28th is essentially the same. This is interpreted as an attempt to remind the public of their desire for regime change, which made him the leading opposition presidential candidate four months ago. Currently, former Prosecutor General Yoon is in a close race with his intra-party competitor, Representative Hong Joon-pyo, allowing Hong to catch up in terms of approval ratings.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office that day, former Prosecutor General Yoon described himself as a "political newcomer" and politics as an "unknown path," saying, "I have fallen several times but will not sit down." He stated, "My joining the People Power Party is solely for regime change," asking to be used as a tool for regime change and political innovation. He also included a provocative statement, "Winning with Yoon Seok-yeol will deliver the most painful defeat to the Moon Jae-in administration." The word "regime change" appeared six times in his statement. Referring to the recent local election defeat, he said, "The Democratic Party's local powers nationwide are the second Park Won-soon, Kim Kyung-soo, and Lee Jae-myung."

The reason former Prosecutor General Yoon suddenly made a national appeal, while focusing on the intra-party primary process, is related to his recent decline in approval ratings. After his remarks defending former President Jeon Du-hwan and the so-called "dog apology" controversy, Yoon's approval ratings fluctuated. His campaign is also aware of the seriousness. Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party lawmaker who officially joined Yoon's campaign as a co-chairman of the joint election countermeasures committee the day before, appeared on the radio that day and said, "I hope former Prosecutor General Yoon visits Gwangju as soon as possible, but due to the TV debate schedule, he will go next week." He added that even if Yoon receives egg attacks from the angry Gwangju public, "he must endure it," and said, "I believe that with such sincerity, the attitude of Gwangju citizens toward candidate Yoon can change."

The People Power Party's presidential primary candidates are seen cheering at the joint debate for the Gangwon region held on the afternoon of the 27th at G1 Gangwon Minbang in Dong-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon. From left to right: Yoon Seok-yeol, Won Hee-ryong, Yoo Seung-min, Hong Joon-pyo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Recent public opinion polls show that former Prosecutor General Yoon still demonstrates competitiveness in a one-on-one race against Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, but the gap with other candidates such as Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, and Won Hee-ryong is gradually narrowing. As the differentiation in approval ratings among the four weakens, many polls show results where "any opposition candidate can defeat (candidate Lee)." In the Realmeter poll commissioned by OhmyNews (conducted nationwide from the 25th to 26th among 2,035 men and women aged 18 and over, with a 95% confidence level and a sampling error of ±2.2 percentage points), former Prosecutor General Yoon (45.3%) led candidate Lee (40.9%) by 4.4 percentage points in a one-on-one race. However, Representative Hong (44.4%) also defeated candidate Lee (38.9%) by 5.5 percentage points, showing a larger gap than Yoon. Former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong (43.8%) also led candidate Lee (40.1%) by 3.7 percentage points, while former Representative Yoo Seung-min (36.1%) trailed candidate Lee (40.0%) by 3.9 percentage points.

In the competitiveness survey among People Power Party candidates, some polls show Representative Hong leading former Prosecutor General Yoon, making it difficult for Yoon to be optimistic about the primary results. When asked about the "People Power Party candidate who can compete against candidate Lee," Representative Hong had the highest support at 38.2%, and former Prosecutor General Yoon had 33.1%, with a gap of 5.1 percentage points outside the margin of error. However, among People Power Party supporters, Yoon still maintains majority support, increasing from 54.1% in the previous survey to 55.6%, indicating that his support base remains solid despite the "dog apology" controversy.