The Era of 'Eo Daehyeon' Blossoms... Kim Faces Challenge of Reconciling 'Non-Yoon Faction'

Lingering Grudges Over Ulsan Land Speculation Allegations
Will Ahn Cheol-soo and Hwang Kyo-ahn Resolve Their Conflict?
Questions Arise Over Relationship with Lee Jun-seok Faction's Cheon Ha-ram

‘Eodaehyeon (Anyway, the Party Leader is Kim Ki-hyun)’

There was no upset. Candidate Kim Ki-hyun was elected as the next leader of the People Power Party.

At the People Power Party’s 3rd national convention held on the 8th at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, candidate Kim Ki-hyun received 244,163 votes, securing 52.93% of the vote and was elected. Since the vote share exceeded the majority, the party leader was confirmed in the first round without a runoff. In this convention, 461,313 out of 837,236 total party members voted, recording a turnout rate of 55.10%. Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo received 107,803 votes (23.37%), candidate Chun Ha-ram 69,122 votes (14.98%), and candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn 40,222 votes (8.72%).

Kim Ki-hyun, the newly elected leader of the People Power Party, is cheering after confirming the vote count at the party's 3rd national convention held on the 8th at KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Newly elected party leader Kim Ki-hyun expressed his gratitude with a deep bow. In his acceptance speech, Kim emphasized, “We must run toward only one goal,” adding, “First is livelihood, second is livelihood, and third is solely livelihood.”

He said, “I will become one with party comrades to revive the livelihood of the people and surely lead to victory in next year’s general election,” and “I will serve our leaders such as candidates Ahn Cheol-soo, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Chun Ha-ram well, and create a united People Power Party through solidarity, inclusion, and reconciliation.”

The immediate challenge facing Kim is to heal internal party conflicts. As this was the first party convention held after regaining power with President Yoon Seok-yeol’s election, conflicts erupted amid heated disputes among candidates during the party leadership race.

First, controversy arose over the amendment of the party constitution that established the rules for this convention. The People Power Party changed the election method from the previous “70% party member vote + 30% public opinion poll” to “100% party member vote” and introduced a runoff voting system for the first time if no candidate secured a majority in the first round. Analysts interpreted this as a move to exclude former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, who had shown an advantage in public opinion polls. Reports that President Yoon had requested this change raised concerns that it was intended to favor a specific candidate.

Kim Ki-hyun (from left), Ahn Cheol-soo, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Cheon Ha-ram, candidates for the People Power Party leadership, are attending the party's 3rd national convention held on the afternoon of the 8th at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Moreover, the withdrawal of former lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who served as the deputy chair of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee, added fuel to internal conflicts. Na had shown the highest support in various polls and was considering running for party leader, but the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction within the party and the presidential office launched a relentless offensive, effectively pressuring her to withdraw. During this process, President Yoon dismissed Na from her positions as deputy chair of the Low Birthrate Committee and climate change ambassador, and first-term lawmakers circulated a petition pressuring her to withdraw. Eventually, Na announced her withdrawal. However, after her announcement, she publicly declared support for Kim and began making public appearances.

The presidential office and pro-Yoon faction’s checks on candidate Ahn also intensified conflicts. Ahn promoted the “Yoon-Ahn Alliance (Yoon Seok-yeol and Ahn Cheol-soo),” claiming himself as the candidate favored by Yoon’s intentions, prompting direct intervention from the presidential office. In early last month, Lee Jin-bok, senior secretary to the president for government affairs, met with Chung Jin-seok, chairman of the People Power Party’s emergency committee, and sharply remarked about Ahn, “If he says nothing, nothing will happen,” revealing tense emotions.

Since then, Ahn’s support rate plummeted. Ahn’s camp pointed out that an administrative officer from the presidential office’s civil society secretariat sent messages supporting Kim in multiple group chats of various organizations, arguing that “party democracy was undermined.” During this process, Ahn’s campaign also filed a complaint against Kang Seung-gyu, senior secretary for civil society, with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.

Kim Ki-hyun, the newly appointed leader of the People Power Party, is waving the party flag at the party's 3rd national convention held on the 8th at KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In the full-fledged party leadership race, candidate Hwang consistently raised allegations of Kim’s “land speculation in Ulsan” during joint debates. The issue surfaced every time there was a four-candidate debate for party leader. Hwang urged Kim to resign, warning that if the problem surfaced, the president could be held responsible. Toward the end, Hwang held a joint press conference with candidate Ahn, raising their voices that Kim should step down.

Because of this, healing internal party conflicts is expected to be the top priority for Kim Ki-hyun’s leadership. In his acceptance speech on the day of his election, Kim said, “I will serve our leaders such as candidates Ahn Cheol-soo, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Chun Ha-ram well, and create a united People Power Party through solidarity, inclusion, and reconciliation.” At the subsequent press conference, he said, “I have not yet made specific plans for party appointments,” but added, “I will uphold the basic principle of solidarity, inclusion, and reconciliation.”