As the End of the Previous Party Approaches... Candidates Attempt to Overturn the 'No.1' Leader

As the People Power Party's leadership election enters its final stages, the 'front-runner' candidates are making their last push, while the remaining candidates are unveiling surprise cards in hopes of a late comeback. Ahn Cheol-soo, who was initially one of the 'top two' but became part of a 'three-way race' due to Cheon Ha-ram's rising momentum, has clashed with the presidential office by raising concerns about 'unfairness in the election process.' Meanwhile, Lee Gi-in, a youth supreme council candidate from the 'Lee Jun-seok faction,' has criticized the current frontrunner Jang Ye-chan for allegedly being involved in an illegal racing club in the past.

On the 3rd, during CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' when asked by the host whether he felt uneasy about being called a 'hindrance to state affairs' by the presidential office, Ahn responded, "During President Roh Moo-hyun's impeachment, they cheered in the National Assembly. Those people all suffered huge losses in the general election. Like that, the people are truly formidable, and that is the really important point."

Ahn Cheol-soo (from the left), Hwang Kyo-ahn, Kim Ki-hyun, and Chun Ha-ram, candidates for the party leader of the People Power Party, are holding hands and greeting at the 3rd Party Convention Seoul·Incheon·Gyeonggi Joint Speech Meeting held at Goyang Gymnasium in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He thus compared the pressure from the presidential office on himself to the 'Roh impeachment.' Regarding Lee Jin-bok, the senior secretary for political affairs, who said last month, "If nothing had been said, nothing would have happened," Ahn said, "That was actually a statement better left unsaid," adding, "Party members were deeply hurt due to conflicts between the former leader and the president, and with the Democratic Party's fierce attacks, it was deemed undesirable to have internal strife, so I stayed silent."

Recently, through social media, Ahn also took a stand against the presidential office by saying, "Am I the only one who feels that the presidential office, the emergency committee, and the election commission are all unfair?" This is interpreted as a sign of his sense of crisis, as Kim Ki-hyun, representing the 'pro-Yoon' faction, has emerged as the frontrunner, and Cheon, who declared himself 'anti-Yoon,' is also making gains, leaving Ahn caught in the middle. It can also be seen as a move to absorb anti-Yoon votes if the election goes to a runoff.

Ahn said, "The idea of a 'top one and three-way race' or 'Eodaehyeon (Anyway, the leader will be Kim Ki-hyun)' is wishful thinking," adding, "Just seeing that Kim is only attacking me makes me think that he considers me his main rival and the opponent in the runoff."

In the election for youth supreme council members, Lee Gi-in from the 'Lee Jun-seok faction' has been relentlessly attacking Jang Ye-chan, who is overwhelmingly leading, over allegations of celebrity sexual objectification novels and involvement in an illegal racing club. On the same day, on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Lee claimed, "After passing the cutoff, the current mood on the ground feels more like a two-way race than a one-way race," and added, "We are receiving a lot of support and encouragement to quickly filter out candidates with moral issues."

He said, "Regarding the 'erotic novel (controversy),' the problem now is that the real names of celebrities were used," and added, "Instead of worrying about Lee Jun-seok or others, he should first reflect on his own past actions and problems. Unless he takes responsibility for these things, the support currently expressed as the frontrunner will decline."

Lee and the Lee Jun-seok faction have also raised allegations about Jang's involvement in illegal racing. Lee said, "Around 2014-2015, he was the leader of a 'public road racing' club," adding, "He claims there was nothing illegal, but looking at his past posts about tuning cars or complaining about the costs involved, it seems he was definitely a participant who enjoyed illegal street racing." Former leader Lee Jun-seok also supported Lee by posting six consecutive posts on his SNS.