[Lee Jun-seok Aftershock] The Fall of Icarus... The Rise and Fall of Lee Jun-seok, the 30s Non-incumbent Party Leader

Lee Jun-seok, who achieved a landslide victory at the 2021 party convention
Despite winning the presidential and local elections, he continues to face ongoing crises

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] In Greek mythology, there is the myth of Icarus, who flew in the sky with wings made by attaching feathers of a bird's wings with wax. He was warned that if he flew too high, the wax would melt from the heat of the sun and he would fall, and if he flew too low, the moisture from the sea would weigh down the wings and he would also fall into the water. The only way to survive was to fly in the middle between the sky and the sea. Unfortunately, the conclusion of the myth was that Icarus, who flew in the sky, flew too high, the wax holding the feathers melted, and he fell into the sea and died.

People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok is attending the Central Ethics Committee meeting held in the party's main conference room at the National Assembly on the evening of the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, might be the Icarus of our time. The process of a 30-something party leader gaining attention in South Korea's most prestigious conservative party and then rapidly falling amid allegations of sexual misconduct is very similar.

◆30-something party leader = Born in 1985, Lee graduated from Seoul Science High School and completed his bachelor's degree at Harvard University in the United States. After returning, he ran a software development company and also established an educational volunteer organization called "People Sharing Learning." His impressive resume attracted attention in the political world, and in 2011, he was selected by Park Geun-hye, then the emergency committee chairperson of the Saenuri Party, to serve as an emergency committee member. Afterward, he chose the path of a politician and walked the path of a young conservative politician.

During the collapse of former President Park Geun-hye due to the influence-peddling scandal, he agreed with the proposal to impeach her. Although he was from the Saenuri Party, he voiced criticism of former President Park and left the party with former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min when Yoo founded the Bareun Party. Later, he was active in the Bareunmirae Party with Yoo and Ahn Cheol-soo, but after conflicts between the two camps, he left and moved to the New Conservative Party. The New Conservative Party later merged with the United Future Party, which after losing the general election changed its name to the People Power Party, making him a member of the People Power Party.

As confirmed by his political career, he was not considered part of the mainstream within the People Power Party. However, in the 2021 by-elections, he attracted attention by involving 20-30-year-old youths as endorsers in his campaign, conducting a groundbreaking election campaign. In the party convention held immediately after the by-election victory, Lee became the protagonist of innovation through his unique issue responses, bold election strategies, and speeches that traveled nationwide and became a hot topic. The need for a radical transformation of the conservative party to win the presidential election combined with Lee Jun-seok's star power made him the whirlwind protagonist at the 2021 People Power Party convention, where he succeeded in defeating formidable candidates. Thus, after three failed attempts at a constituency seat, he achieved a landslide victory in the nationwide party convention, creating the myth of a 30-something party leader with no prior elected office.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Troublemaker? The fight with Yoon's core supporters= Lee, who attracted public attention by riding a "Ddareungi" bicycle, became the main figure leading the rise in support for the People Power Party. He then took on the role of spearheading the regime change, which was an existential task for the People Power Party. However, during this process, he was caught in various conflicts with Yoon Seok-youl, then the presidential candidate who won the party's primary.

Conflicts arose between Yoon's camp and Lee over issues such as the appointment of the general election campaign committee chairman and control over the election campaign. This brought the controversy over Yoon's core supporters, known as "Yoonhaekgwan," to the surface. Lee targeted the Yoonhaekgwan issue, which became the biggest internal party issue during the People Power Party's presidential election process.

The so-called party affairs refusal incident (November 29 to December 3, 2021), when Lee canceled all party leader schedules and toured the provinces, ended with a compromise when President Yoon personally visited Lee. At that time, Lee stated, "I consider it a serious mistake for someone to impersonate the candidate, and while I will not point fingers on that matter, I will issue a stern warning." The essence of the conflict was the Yoonhaekgwan issue.

However, as the issue continued, Lee stepped down from the standing election committee chairman position, which he held ex officio as party leader, and confronted the presidential candidate. Amid this unprecedented power struggle between the presidential candidate and the party leader, the candidate's support rate plummeted, plunging the party into an emergency. Eventually, a resolution urging Lee's resignation was discussed at a party members' meeting, but Yoon said, "Let's forget the past and move on," showing a conciliatory stance and reaching another compromise.

Afterward, Lee actively participated in the presidential election strategy, promotional videos, and regional campaigns, traveling nationwide in all capacities. Although he ultimately won the presidential election, he could not fully celebrate due to lingering emotional bitterness from the repeated conflicts during the election process.

After the new government was launched, the People Power Party again won the June 1 local elections, which were a decisive battle for control of state affairs. Thus, Lee achieved all the election victories he initially aimed for. Immediately after the presidential victory, he promised party innovation and nomination reform, pledging to improve the ruling party's constitution. However, these moves were interpreted as maneuvers related to nomination rights, deepening internal party conflicts.

Eventually, Lee received a severe disciplinary action of six months suspension of party membership rights from the party's Ethics Committee for allegedly instructing the destruction of evidence related to sexual bribery allegations. This disciplinary action made it difficult for Lee to maintain his position as party leader, placing him in the worst political crisis.

A People Power Party politician said, "If Lee had about ten supporting lawmakers, this situation might have been avoided." Although he gained nationwide recognition through ups and downs, the failure to build a political force led to today's downfall. It could also be due to his style, which emphasizes clarity rather than inclusion or harmony. Additionally, the instability of an uncontrollable party leader or past sexual bribery allegations may have contributed to his downfall.

Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party, Passion Train. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

◆Back to Icarus = Icarus was warned that flying too low or too high would cause him to fall.

Lee also had to prepare for retirement from politics if he lost either the presidential or local elections. When running for party leader, he often said it was a "poisoned chalice" and "riding a tiger." Becoming party leader meant that losing an election could end his political career. By winning the presidential and local elections, he avoided his wings getting wet from moisture. However, after promising party innovation following the local election victory, the situation changed. Whether to gain more power or from a determination to create a ruling party not swayed by the president or presidential aides after the Park Geun-hye administration's influence-peddling scandal, he confronted Yoon's core supporters and the party mainstream. In this process, the wax on his shoulders began to melt, and feathers started falling one by one.