Record-Breaking Voter Turnout at the Yeo Party Leadership Election... Interpretations Are 'Different Dreams in the Same Bed'

In the mobile voting for the People Power Party leadership election held on the 4th and 5th, an unprecedented turnout of 47.51% was recorded. Including the ARS voting taking place on the 6th and 7th, the final turnout is expected to easily surpass 50%. Each candidate is interpreting this positively, claiming that the "high support rate is advantageous." Kim Ki-hyun, a candidate from the 'Pro-Yoon (친윤)' faction, interprets it as a consolidation of the 'conservative vote,' while candidates Ahn Cheol-soo and Chun Ha-ram see it as a 'rebellion vote.'

On the 6th, Kim said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "the higher the turnout, the more advantageous I believe it is for me," adding, "The anger of party members who say, 'What kind of party leader always criticizes from within the ruling party?' is much stronger on the ground." He suggested that the participation of the 'Lee Jun-seok faction' actually helped consolidate the Pro-Yoon vote.

On the 2nd, at the Goyang Gymnasium in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, the People Power Party's 3rd National Convention Seoul·Incheon·Gyeonggi Joint Speech Meeting was held, where the party leadership, party representative candidates, supreme council member candidates, and youth supreme council member candidates greeted party members. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Jang Ye-chan, a candidate for the Youth Supreme Council, also said on MBC radio, "I view the high mobile voting turnout very positively," adding, "It seems that the party members' desire to support the Yoon Seok-yeol government is consolidating." Although there is generally a perception that the elderly are weak in mobile voting, this time they participated easily due to previous experiences with mobile voting conducted for TV programs targeting older and middle-aged audiences, such as 'Mr. Trot.'

On the other hand, the 'Lee Jun-seok faction' and candidate Ahn interpret the high turnout as a 'rebellion vote.' Chun said on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' "It increased by about 10% within an hour. Those who actively voted as soon as they arrived, even while waiting, are basically driven by anger," adding, "'Our party is doing very well now,' those who view it more relaxedly tend to participate less actively."

Candidate Ahn also shared the mobile voting turnout on the first day via social media (SNS), stating, "Turnout rebellion, the grassroots party sentiment is toward Ahn Cheol-soo," and added, "The party members' desire for innovation, shown by the high turnout, will ultimately create a runoff stage, and on that stage, I will clearly demonstrate that I am the candidate who is moral, reformist, and capable of securing victory in the general election."

Former leader Lee Jun-seok also said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "I thought a high turnout would be advantageous, so I considered how to increase turnout," adding, "I thought about how to stimulate the voting desire among reform-minded party members, which led me to mention the so-called Eom Seok-dae." He had previously compared President Yoon Seok-yeol to Eom Seok-dae, a character from the novel 'Our Twisted Hero,' during a press conference on the 3rd, the day before mobile voting began.

However, there is also analysis that a high turnout cannot necessarily be seen as advantageous to a specific candidate. Kim Jae-won, a candidate for the People Power Party Supreme Council, said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "Mobile voting has been conducted several times, so many people have learned how to use it. Because it improves voter convenience compared to past votes, turnout is gradually increasing," adding, "Although young people are good at mobile voting, in fact, the elderly have also learned the mobile voting method a lot."

Jo Won-jin, leader of the Our Republican Party, also pointed out that it is hard to say it benefits only one side. He said on YTN's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon,' "Both sides benefit. One is the backlash against interference in party affairs during the leadership election and the rude remarks of Yoon's core supporters, and the other is the side saying 'Let's protect President Yoon for the remaining four years.'"