[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] "Among travel YouTubers, a friend named 'Ppanibottle' initially took 'GwakTube' around and introduced him to YouTube, but GwakTube has become more popular recently." (Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok)
"I am thinking of getting about 60% of the votes." (Cheon Ha-ram, People Power Party leadership candidate)
The 'Lee Jun-seok faction' candidate Cheon Ha-ram is causing a strong sensation in the ruling party leadership race. In multiple opinion polls, he, who has not been a candidate for long, has risen to the top three. Candidate Cheon proudly calls himself 'Cheon Hurricane' and aims to achieve a 60% vote share.
On the 9th, on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' Candidate Cheon said, "I am thinking of getting about 60% of the votes," and showed confidence by saying, "Even if it goes to a runoff, I think the votes I get will be around 60%."
The target of '60%' set by Candidate Cheon is a figure that even former leader Lee Jun-seok did not achieve when party sentiment and public opinion were reflected in a 7 to 3 ratio. In the 2021 leadership election, former leader Lee recorded a total vote share of 43.82%, with 58.76% in opinion polls and 37.41% in party member votes, defeating former lawmaker Na Kyung-won to become party leader. Considering this, Candidate Cheon's goal of a '60% vote share' can be interpreted as a declaration of 'Cheongchul-eoram' (the pupil surpassing the master) to surpass former leader Lee.
Former leader Lee also hinted at the possibility of Cheongchul-eoram by mentioning the relationship between famous travel YouTubers 'Ppanibottle' and 'GwakTube.' GwakTube gained recognition by appearing on Ppanibottle's YouTube channel but is now more actively broadcasting than him. This suggests that Candidate Cheon will not merely be an 'avatar of Lee Jun-seok.'
On the same day, on YTN's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon,' when asked by the host whether it is okay if Cheon Ha-ram becomes more popular than Lee Jun-seok, former leader Lee said, "That depends on his own ability, and I cannot stop it. I launched the product called Cheon Ha-ram, and if it does well, I have no reason to be jealous," but added, "In fact, many people who said they would surpass Lee Jun-seok did not succeed in their challenges."
Candidate Cheon is currently the only 'non-Yoon (非尹)' faction candidate among the party leadership candidates, leveraging this advantage to target the votes of non-Yoon-leaning party members. He may receive a solid vote from party members who previously supported former leader Lee, and the support votes from the 400,000 party members who joined during Lee's tenure make the outcome difficult to predict. Former leader Lee said on YTN, "Among all politicians in the People Power Party, I was the only one who received weekly reports on party member trends," and "I have a sense from that time," suggesting that there has been a considerable influx of online party members with a 'pro-Lee Jun-seok' inclination.
The grassroots sentiment in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) and Busan-Gyeongnam (PK) regions, angry at the 'Yoon Core Group (Yoon Seok-yeol's key associates),' could also act as a variable. Candidate Cheon said on BBS, "After declaring my candidacy, I went to TK and listened to the public sentiment thoroughly. I listened not only to the voices of young people but also to those of traditional supporters who have been with our party for 30 or 40 years. Many of them think that the Yoon Core Group lining up people in the party and privatizing it is excessive."
Since the leadership election rules have changed to '100% party members,' the political landscape is different from when former leader Lee received close to 50% of the votes, but there is still nearly a month left until the leadership election. There is ample possibility for rankings to change through candidate debates and other variables.
What Candidate Cheon is aiming for is the 'Cheon Ha-ram?Ahn Cheol-soo Golden Cross.' Candidate Cheon said on BBS, "If the Cheon Ha-ram?Ahn Cheol-soo Golden Cross appears, then even the powers that be cannot just leave Cheon Ha-ram alone," and "Surely, Cheon Ha-ram's moment of glory will come," showing confidence. This is also why the 'Lee Jun-seok faction' is raising critical voices against candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. Unlike Kim Ki-hyun, a firm 'Yoon-sim (Yoon's heart)' candidate, they judge that Candidate Cheon has the potential to absorb Ahn's support base.
When Candidate Ahn raised his voice on the same day about creating a public communication service using artificial intelligence (AI) 'Chat GPT,' members of the 'Lee Jun-seok faction' all jumped on the 'Ahn Cheol-soo bashing.' Former leader Lee said, "It is the resurrection of Lee Jae-myung's Gimpo Airport vertical takeoff and landing," and Candidate Cheon sarcastically said, "Ask Chat GPT whether the candidate is pro-Yoon or non-Yoon." Shin In-kyu, a lawyer leading the pro-Lee Jun-seok group 'People Power Party Straightening,' also pointed out, "Ahn Cheol-soo's new politics is becoming increasingly hollow."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
