Disappointed by 'Yunsim', Cheon Ayongin... Limits of 'Lee Jun-seok Style Politics'

The Third-Place Cheon Ha-ram Upset Who Defeated Hwang Kyo-ahn
Divide-and-Conquer and Misogyny Don't Work

The candidates of ‘Cheon-A-Yong-In’ (Cheon Haram, Heo Eun-ah, Kim Yong-tae, Lee Gi-in), composed of the ‘Pro-Lee Jun-seok faction,’ sparked a reform wave within the party but failed to enter the leadership. This party convention also reaffirmed the harsh internal evaluation of former leader Lee Jun-seok.

Cheon Haram, a candidate for party leader, defeated candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn and placed third in the People Power Party’s 3rd party convention on the 8th. According to the vote count for this party leader election, Cheon received 69,122 votes, accounting for 14.98%, while Hwang received 40,022 votes, only 8.72% of the vote.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On that day, Cheon said on Facebook, "When everyone was immersed in the sweet temptation of submission and cowardice, I, Cheon Haram, believed only in dignity and excitement toward the future," adding, "Dignity is the responsibility to tell my eight-year-old son later that his father spoke up even in front of the strongest power, and excitement was the expectation that we could reform conservatism together with the members who gather strength."

Referring to a line from poet Park Nohae’s ‘Another Road,’ he said, "Compared to the fear of not truly living for myself, even the fear of death is nothing," and promised, "I will pursue true Cheon Haram politics."

Candidates Kim Yong-tae and Heo Eun-ah, who ran for supreme council member, also failed to make the final list. Kim said, "To my supporters, I want to say this is not a defeat," and added, "I want to continue standing by the people and party members while keeping my convictions." Heo also said, "Today is not our defeat," adding, "It is my shortcoming. I simply could not take one more step forward." She continued, "We saw together that we are no longer alone," and said, "The past month was truly enjoyable and exciting, and I look forward to the many days ahead like soft feathers with a pounding heart."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Gi-in, who ran for youth supreme council member, showed a large gap in vote share compared to the elected candidate Jang Ye-chan. Lee said on Facebook that day, "I am glad it was an honorable defeat," adding, "The unfavorable situation was clear from the start. I am most proud that I ran despite knowing that." He added, "I continue to support Cheon Haram. I am a comrade of Lee Jun-seok."

There is an analysis that this party convention effectively led to a reevaluation of former leader Lee Jun-seok. Eom Kyung-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, said, "Looking at various actions after Lee’s resignation as party leader, he opposed President Yoon Seok-yeol, and during this primary, he used the outdated ‘young male’ strategy, which led the People Power Party’s support base to give a negative evaluation overall," adding, "Lee’s divisive politics and misogyny cannot sustain a long political life."

There is also an evaluation that they lagged behind in terms of ‘recognition.’ Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon pointed out that the recognition of ‘Cheon-A-Yong-In’ was not as high as other candidates. Lee said, "Compared to the party leader election, interest in the supreme council election is relatively low, so detailed scrutiny of candidates is not conducted, and people with higher recognition are more likely to be chosen first," adding, "On the contrary, pro-Yoon faction candidates tend to have much higher recognition, appearing frequently on broadcasts and being famous, so those factors seem to have been reflected."

Former leader Lee Jun-seok emphasized on Facebook that day that he and the Cheon-A-Yong-In candidates ran a regret-free election and faced it without fear. He said, "Not fearing to confront the strong and speaking the right words was the best strategy," and added, "I am very grateful to the party members who supported us, and I will strive harder for a better tomorrow than today."