On Kim Ki-hyun's First Day, Opposition Counters with 'Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor Act'... Election Climate Worsens

People Power Party's Pro-Yoon Kim Ki-hyun Leadership Formation
Resembling the Pro-Myeong Democratic Party Leadership
Concerns Over Worsening Ruling and Opposition Relations Tension

The ruling People Power Party's (PPP) leadership has been formed entirely with pro-Yoon Seok-yeol (Chin-Yoon) members. Coupled with the Democratic Party's (DP) leadership, which is dominated by pro-Lee Jae-myung (Chin-Myung) members, concerns are rising that inter-party relations will further deteriorate.

On the 9th, Lee Jae-myung, the DP leader, congratulated Kim Ki-hyun on his election as the PPP leader via social media (SNS). Offering a belated congratulatory message, Lee expressed his willingness to cooperate, stating, "We will certainly cooperate where cooperation is needed to resolve livelihood issues."

The day before, the DP issued an unusually critical statement regarding the new PPP leadership, saying, "Intra-party democracy within the People Power Party has completely died," and added, "While it is proper to congratulate the ruling party's new leader, it is difficult to extend congratulations to Kim Ki-hyun, who is tainted by presidential interference in party affairs and immoral land speculation allegations." Previously, when Lee was elected at the DP convention in August last year, Park Jeong-ha, the PPP chief spokesperson, briefly congratulated the new leadership, saying, "We congratulate the launch of the new leadership" and "We hope the Democratic Party will become a party for the people."

Kim Ki-hyun, the newly appointed leader of the People Power Party, is arriving at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Such statements from the DP starkly illustrate the bleak state of inter-party relations. Considering that the general election is just a year away and relations between the ruling and opposition parties have sharply worsened, the political landscape is expected to enter an unprecedented head-to-head confrontation.

The ruling party, which has struggled to overcome the minority status in the National Assembly, aims to secure a stable majority in next year's general election. On the other hand, the DP, which lost the presidential election by a narrow margin of 0.73 percentage points, plans to counter with a judgment narrative. Since both parties are putting their all into the election, intensified confrontation is inevitable. On the same day, the DP formally proposed a special prosecution law regarding allegations of stock manipulation against First Lady Kim Keon-hee. The DP plans to persuade the Justice Party and others to designate this as a fast-track bill and aims to pass the special prosecution law by the September regular session at the latest.

Both Kim Ki-hyun and Lee Jae-myung harbor significant 'old grudges' from the last presidential election. Kim, as the floor leader during the election, led attacks related to Lee's Daejang-dong scandal allegations. Meanwhile, the DP continues to press allegations of land speculation involving Kim's KTX station area in Ulsan, further fueling conflict. While Kim and Lee are negotiation partners in inter-party relations, politically, Lee views President Yoon, whom he faced in the last presidential election, as a rival. Therefore, rather than resolving the deadlocked political situation through talks between party leaders, there is a higher likelihood of preferring summit meetings.

Internal party circumstances also act as catalysts for conflict. After the rejection of the arrest motion against Lee, the DP is experiencing internal strife over the continuation of Lee's leadership. Within the PPP, the recent party convention deepened internal divisions amid controversies over 'Yoon's will' (Yoon-sim). Both parties are more likely to strengthen internal unity by demonstrating combativeness rather than showing leadership for negotiation.

However, the presence of a crucial reform task such as election law revision, the increasing fatigue caused by severe inter-party conflicts, and the fact that both party leaderships prioritize public livelihood are expected to encourage dialogue efforts. At a press conference the day before, Kim said, "If possible, I will visit the opposition leadership, including Lee, as soon as possible to seek opinions and work to resolve issues that improve the people's livelihood through bipartisan cooperation."

Meanwhile, inter-party relations may enter a new phase after the simultaneous resignation possibility of both parties' floor leaders at the end of April. In the PPP, four-term lawmakers Kim Hak-yong and Yoon Sang-hyun, and three-term lawmakers Kim Tae-ho, Park Dae-chul, Yoon Jae-ok, and Cho Hae-jin are mentioned as candidates, mostly classified as pro-Yoon. In the DP, four-term lawmaker Ahn Kyu-baek and three-term lawmakers Park Kwang-on, Yoon Kwan-seok, Lee Won-wook, Jeon Hae-cheol, Hong Ik-pyo, and two-term lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan are mentioned. Among them, Park Kwang-on, Jeon Hae-cheol, and Lee Won-wook are considered pro-Myung. If both parties form floor leaderships dominated by pro-Yoon and pro-Myung factions, the ruling and opposition parties are expected to continue an even more intense confrontation aimed at the general election.