Pro-Chin Yoon Faction Candidate Emphasizes Ties with President Yoon
Non-Yoon and Lee Jun-seok Factions Criticize Party Situation and Present Policies
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Candidates for the Supreme Council Member and Youth Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party's March 8 party convention gathered in one place on the 7th. On this day, the 24 candidates presented their pledges and visions ahead of the preliminary primary scheduled for the 10th, but the voices of the pro-Yoon faction and the non-Yoon faction within the party sharply diverged. Pro-Yoon lawmakers emphasized their ties with President Yoon Seok-yeol and appealed for support, while non-Yoon lawmakers called for party innovation, including nomination reform.
Pro-Yoon candidate Lee Man-hee emphasized his experience working closely with President Yoon during a policy presentation held at the ASSA Building in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, in the afternoon. Lee said, "As the head of the presidential campaign team, I worked closely with candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, traveling across the country to meet with citizens and party members with earnestness and intensity to achieve a regime change," adding, "I will be a strong bridge connecting the Yoon administration and the People Power Party, a party-government bridge." Lawmaker Lee Yong, who served as President Yoon's aide during the presidential election and transition team, also said, "From the presidential primary to the transition team, I worked very hard," and "I know the president's governance philosophy well and can communicate anytime, anywhere, so I will serve as a bridge."
Lawmaker Park Sung-joong appealed, "I became the head of the Seoul City Party Committee and helped bring about President Yoon's rise, and as the secretary of the transition team, I drew up the roadmap," adding, "Choose me, Park Sung-joong, the eternal running mate of the Yoon administration." Lawmaker Cho Soo-jin emphasized, "Whenever times were tough, I was the first person our party turned to," and "I made presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol and protected him. Even when shaken inside and outside the party, I consistently defended President Yoon."
Former Supreme Council Members Kim Jae-won and Jung Mi-kyung, who served in the previous leadership, also called for the "success of the Yoon administration." Former Supreme Council Member Kim said, "After the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, the person who tried to send me to prison was Yoon Seok-yeol, then the Seoul Central District Prosecutor," adding, "Although we have such a remarkable connection, I believed that holding President Yoon's hand was necessary for a successful regime change, and I made that happen." Former Supreme Council Member Jung said, "The regime change has happened, but I am still fighting on broadcasts," and "Protecting President Yoon ultimately means protecting the People Power Party, and protecting the People Power Party ultimately means protecting the Republic of Korea."
Former emergency committee member Kim Byung-min, an outside candidate, also said, "I am the only spokesperson who has been with President Yoon from before he joined the party, accompanying him from the start to the end of the election," adding, "Having been closest to President Yoon, if I join this leadership, I will become a party-government communication hotline based on trust and will definitely establish stable party relations and basic order for victory in the general election."
Candidates classified as Lee Jun-seok faction and 'non-Yoon' faction emphasized innovation inside and outside the party, such as nomination reform, rather than emphasizing ties with President Yoon. Lawmaker Heo Eun-ah unfolded a scroll inscribed with 'Open Selection of Spokesperson Team' and 'Guarantee of Freedom of Political Speech,' and former Youth Supreme Council Member Kim Yong-tae unfolded a scroll reading 'Dissolution of the Special Committee for Organizational Strengthening' as they presented their platforms. After the presentation, Lawmaker Heo told reporters, "It is natural for the Election Commission to say not to involve the president. The president should not interfere in elections, so I accept that part," adding, "However, banning words like 'Yoon core group' is not the Election Commission's business to restrict free speech."
Former Youth Supreme Council Member Kim said, "I respect the results of this leadership's Special Committee for Organizational Strengthening, but it is also true that many party members have doubts," and advocated for direct elections of party district heads. When reporters asked about the meeting between former Lawmaker Na Kyung-won and Lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun after the presentation, he pointedly said, "If Lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun has even a slight falling out with the president, I think there could be a collective lynching against candidate Kim next."
Youth Supreme Council Member candidates also clearly divided into pro-Yoon and non-Yoon factions. Candidate Jang Ye-chan called himself "the front-line striker of the Yoon Seok-yeol government," introducing himself as "the president's number one youth aide who has been with him since before the presidential primary began." He added, "When young people were watching former leader Lee Jun-seok and could not speak properly, I fought for the launch of a new leadership and the normalization of the party, making me the right person to open new politics and youth vision."
On the other hand, candidate Kim Young-ho, running mate of party leadership contender Ahn Cheol-soo, criticized the party situation surrounding 'Yoon's mind.' He pointed out, "The pressure not to run and collective bullying against former lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Yoo Seung-min are now directed at candidate Ahn," adding, "Our party's situation is no different from the favoritism of the previous government that we so despised." Candidate Lee Ki-in, campaigning together with candidates Chun Ha-ram, Heo Eun-ah, and Kim Yong-tae, took out a scroll inscribed with 'Party Convention Reimbursement System.' Lee said, "Wasn't the deposit and election cost burdensome when running in this election?" and "To give more young people opportunities, I will definitely push for this reimbursement system."
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