Yoon Core Group's Bad Blood with Lee Jun-seok... 'Bad Person' Political Frame

Yoon Hae-kwan and Lee Jun-seok Face Off Again at Party Convention
'Yoon Hae-kwan Bad Person' Frame
Lee: "Yoon Hae-kwan Anonymously Slanders... Must Practice Responsible Politics"

With the 3·8 party convention to elect the leader of the People Power Party just 10 days away, the tension between the 'Yunhaekgwan' (key associates of Yoon Seok-yeol) and former party leader Lee Jun-seok is intensifying. Cheon Ha-ram, a candidate for party leader supported by former leader Lee, raised an issue, claiming that if Kim Ki-hyun, who has the full backing of the Yunhaekgwan, becomes party leader, the Yunhaekgwan will be able to control the nomination rights.

Candidate Cheon launched an offensive, saying that if Kim becomes party leader, the 'Yunhaekgwan-led nomination' will guarantee a disastrous result in the next general election. On the 18th, at the People Power Party Straightening Talk Concert held at EXCO in Daegu, Cheon told reporters, "If he becomes party leader by holding hands with the Yunhaekgwan, even if he denies it himself, the general election candidates will run with the label of Yunhaekgwan-backed nominations, and the public dislikes nominations imposed by those in power."

In response, Kim Ki-hyun, a candidate for the People Power Party's 3·8 party convention leadership, rebutted, saying, "It's utterly absurd," and "The Yunhaekgwan are not bad people at all." On the 20th, on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' he said, "They are people who have worked hard for President Yoon Seok-yeol's election and are all experienced individuals. It is not right to disparage them like that; it is internal sabotage," dismissing the concerns.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok (left), and lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun (right) are seen putting their arms around each other after announcing the acceptance of Kim Jong-in's position as the general election campaign committee chairman at a restaurant in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on December 3, 2021. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

However, former leader Lee Jun-seok, who is at odds with the Yunhaekgwan, joined the offensive, stating, "The Yunhaekgwan are indeed bad people." On the 20th, he posted on his Facebook, "Mentioning the president's impeachment and talking about leaving the party or forming a new one is internal sabotage," and added, "How can people who only know how to label differing opinions as internal sabotage lead the general election to victory?"

The term Yunhaekgwan emerged during the last presidential election amid tensions over whether former Chairman Kim Jong-in would join as the overall campaign committee chairman, involving candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, former leader Lee, and Kim. During the election process, former leader Lee frequently clashed with the Yunhaekgwan. When reports citing the Yunhaekgwan criticized him and former emergency committee chairman Kim, saying "Kim Jong-in had zero role in forming support for candidate Yoon" and "Lee Jun-seok is a target of hatred among 20-something women (Idaenyeo)," Lee issued several warnings toward the Yunhaekgwan, bringing the group into the spotlight.

Former leader Lee was also the first to officially use the term Yunhaekgwan in public amid internal strife related to the campaign committee. In a December 2021 radio interview, he pointed to lawmaker Jang Je-won as a Yunhaekgwan, saying, "Talking about things no one in the campaign committee knows is like being a political officer."

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, is wiping away tears while speaking directly about the provisional injunction application related to the party's transition to an emergency response committee system during a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The conflict between Lee Jun-seok and the Yunhaekgwan reached its peak when allegations of sexual bribery against Lee surfaced. At that time, the Yunhaekgwan group led the transition to a caretaker committee system, which ultimately resulted in Lee's automatic dismissal from the party leader position. In response, Lee held a press conference on August 13 last year, fiercely criticizing six Yunhaekgwan members he identified, including Kwon Seong-dong, Lee Cheol-gyu, Jang Je-won, and supporters like Jeong Jin-seok, Kim Jeong-jae, and Park Soo-young. He declared a full-scale battle against them, saying, "I will fight the Yunhaekgwan to the end."

Lee also raised suspicions that the Yunhaekgwan might be behind the police investigation into his sexual bribery allegations. He cited testimonies from within the police that Yunhaekgwan were involved in the investigation and pointed out that Kim Sung-jin, the former CEO of iKist who raised the allegations, was legally represented by lawyer Kang Shin-up, a former president of Kim Kun-hee's fan club, implying that the Yunhaekgwan were behind his ousting.

With such a bitter history, the Yunhaekgwan and former leader Lee are clashing again around the party convention. Currently, the Yunhaekgwan group supports candidate Kim Ki-hyun, while former leader Lee backs candidate Cheon Ha-ram. It appears to be a proxy war between the Yunhaekgwan and Lee. Lee reversed Kim's statement that "the Yunhaekgwan are not bad people," labeling the Yunhaekgwan as "bad people" and began framing them as such.

Lee criticized the Yunhaekgwan for bringing upon themselves the negative image attached to them. On the 21st, appearing on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' he said, "The characteristic of the Yunhaekgwan is that they use their real names when they think they will gain recognition or praise, but when they criticize or slander others, they do so anonymously. The mask they use then is like a burner phone called 'key associates of Yoon Seok-yeol.' They borrow the prestige of Yoon Seok-yeol to claim authority in their statements but avoid responsibility. That is the Yunhaekgwan."

He added, "The reason I consistently criticize the Yunhaekgwan is that I want them to act as individuals, not as the Yunhaekgwan. A member of the National Assembly is a constitutional institution. They should take responsibility by criticizing or praising others under their own names. That is responsible politics," he asserted.