Pro-Joonseok Lee Faction: "Cheon Ha Yong In Should Be Given Roles"
Lingering Resentment Toward the Joonseok Lee Faction Within the Party
Within the People Power Party, there are growing calls to give greater roles to the Cheon Ha Yong In (Haram Chun, Euna Hur, Yongtae Kim, Kiin Lee) faction, which is aligned with Joonseok Lee, in order to secure stronger support among young voters.
However, since these calls are coming from pro-Joonseok Lee figures rather than the party leadership, it is difficult to predict whether Cheon Ha Yong In will actually be given more influence. There remains significant resentment toward the Joonseok Lee faction within the party.
On March 20, People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon responded to a question about the party’s failure to benefit from a convention effect by saying, "Our party will make every effort to raise our approval ratings, and we will take concrete steps to win the support of young people and voters in the Seoul metropolitan area." Despite the election of new leadership through the party convention, People Power Party has recently faced criticism for its continued struggles with low approval ratings.
The pro-Joonseok Lee faction continues to argue that Cheon Ha Yong In should be given greater roles to increase support among younger voters.
Ha Tae-kyung, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, insisted that Cheon Ha Yong In should be given roles within the party. On March 23, during an appearance on KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs," he said, "The Cheon Ha Yong In team received about 15% support in the recent convention. That’s 15% among party members, and the figure is even higher in public opinion polls," adding, "They should be given roles within the party."
Pro-In Joonseok faction candidates running in the People Power Party's March 8 national convention posed for photos on the afternoon of the 12th of last month at a restaurant in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, before holding a luncheon meeting with the press corps. From the left, Kiin Lee, youth supreme council candidate; Haram Chun, party leader candidate; Euna Hur, supreme council candidate; Yongtae Kim, supreme council candidate. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Regarding the decline in support among the younger generation, he diagnosed, "The drop in support among young people is because the expectation that our party would bring about change and reform for the younger generation has completely disappeared." He continued, "The 20s and 30s were the generations that supported former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment and overwhelmingly backed Moon Jae-in in the presidential election. In the most recent presidential election, about half of that generation, especially young men, overwhelmingly supported us."
Ha added, "At that time, there were high expectations for new reforms from our party. Now, those expectations have vanished. However, the spark is not completely extinguished, and it seems the party leadership is seriously considering how to reignite it."
Shin In-kyu, head of the People Power Party Reform Committee, also expressed the opinion that Lee’s abilities are needed. Shin, who was selected as a deputy spokesperson through the debate competition "I Am the People Power Party Spokesperson" during Lee’s tenure as party leader, is affiliated with the pro-Joonseok Lee faction.
In a March 21 interview on YTN’s "Face-to-Face Showdown," Shin said, "Support among those in their 20s and 30s has plummeted to a dismal level, with support among those in their 20s at just 13%. The party must have been quite shocked." He cited the reason for the decline in support among young people: "To win the support of the younger generation, the political establishment must earn trust through consistency. However, after promising freedom, fairness, and common sense during the presidential campaign, how can anyone feel vitality, trust, or appeal from a party that, just a year later, only lines up behind those in power?"
He then mentioned former leader Lee. Shin said, "Since the position of ruling party leader is a very weighty one, it’s difficult for me to speak hypothetically. However, Lee is exceptionally skilled at reading public sentiment, and I believe he would have done much better than the current leadership."
Former People Power Party leader Joonseok Lee is speaking at a meeting with readers of his book The Irresistible Future of Joonseok Lee held at a cafe in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do on the afternoon of the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News
However, some within the party, including Supreme Council members Kim Jae-won and Cho Soo-jin, continue to express their opposition to the Joonseok Lee faction.
Jang Ye-chan, the People Power Party’s youth supreme council member, who clashed with the Joonseok Lee faction throughout the convention period, also expressed a negative view on embracing Cheon Ha Yong In. On March 23, regarding the analysis that the party’s youth support base has turned away, Jang said, "I don’t really agree with that."
As for the recent decline in youth support for the People Power Party, he explained, "Controversies over the Korea-Japan summit and the flexible working hours policy arose simultaneously, and due to a lack of communication, we were criticized by the public."
Jang also criticized Haram Chun, head of the Suncheon-gap party chapter, saying, "I wish he would meet and talk unconditionally. Afterward, he can point out the party’s mistakes and lend his support. Is there any need to drag things out and give various excuses like this?"
Currently, the Joonseok Lee faction is ramping up its activities outside the party. Former leader Lee has recently published "The Irresistible Future" and begun a nationwide tour to meet readers. Online, Cheon Ha Yong In has also launched the team blog "Gogonghaengjin," announcing plans to share their thoughts on reform. Gogonghaengjin is an independent platform for the People Power Party’s reformist faction, meaning "people who think, study, act, and are genuine."
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