'People Power Party will be Reformed'... Cheon A-yong of Yongin Waves Off New Party Formation Rumors

At the National Convention, Cheon A-yong Ignited the Spark of Reform
Expanding Steps 'Separately Yet Together'

Can ‘Cheon-A-Yong-In,’ which was just a mild breeze this spring, become a typhoon that shakes next year’s general election? Emerging ahead of the March 8 People Power Party (PPP) leadership election, Cheon-A-Yong-In is a term derived from the first syllables of the names of Cheon Haram, former chairman of the Suncheon Gap PPP district committee in Jeollanam-do; Heo Eun-ah, a member of the National Assembly; Kim Yong-tae, former Supreme Council member; and Lee Gi-in, a member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly. It refers to those who, along with former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok, called for ‘reform conservatism.’ Although they failed to enter the leadership in the last party convention, interest in their moves has increased recently as the PPP’s support rate has faltered due to the defection of youth and moderate voters. They reject rumors of forming a new party both inside and outside the political sphere and are focusing on reforming the PPP.

Did Cheon-A-Yong-In fail? Indeed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Cheon-A-Yong-In drew attention at the last party convention by taking a confrontational stance against President Yoon Seok-yeol and his close allies. In a promotional video for the ‘Reform Conservative Alliance,’ which invited party members onto an airplane as a concept, they criticized the presidential office’s interference in party affairs by likening it to a violation of the ‘Aviation Security Act.’ They also staged a bold act by presenting cheering tools made from garbage bags, asking to “exterminate the treacherous flies with fly swatters.” Chairman Cheon even criticized the Yoon core group (key figures close to President Yoon) as ‘traitors’ akin to those in the Imjin War.

Although their election campaign ultimately failed, they are credited with leaving a spark of reform. Despite the vote being ‘100% party members’ votes’ excluding public opinion polls, those who were not well known within the party managed to secure around 10% of the votes in a short period, which was highly regarded. In the party leader election, Chairman Cheon ranked third with 14.98% (69,122 votes), surpassing former Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, who came in fourth with 8.72%, thus showing his presence. In the Supreme Council member election, former Supreme Council member Kim and Assemblywoman Heo received 10.87% (99,115 votes) and 9.90% (90,276 votes), respectively. Considering that the elected Supreme Council members recorded 13-17% of the votes, the gap was relatively small. In the youth Supreme Council member election, Assemblyman Lee ranked second with 18.71% (84,807 votes).

Former leader Lee, who faced a severe disciplinary suspension of party membership amid allegations of sexual bribery and conflicts with pro-Yoon factions, is also analyzed to have laid the groundwork for a comeback. By playing a ‘supervisory’ role for Cheon-A-Yong-In and shaking the two-power structure of Kim Ki-hyun and Ahn Cheol-soo, he demonstrated that his political influence remains significant. After the party convention results were announced, Lee posted on his Facebook, saying, “All four candidates wanted to run a regret-free election and faced it without fear,” adding, “The best strategy was to not fear confronting the strong and to speak the right words.”

‘Together yet apart’ strategy

After the party convention, former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yong-In are advancing individually. Lee stays in Suncheon four days a week, tutoring second-year middle school students in math. He continues to express his opinions on political issues by appearing on radio shows and posting on his social media. Chairman Cheon, former Supreme Council member Kim, and Assemblywoman Heo, who plan to run in next year’s general election, are also moving swiftly.

Chairman Cheon, whose constituency is fixed, is spending more time in Suncheon than in Seoul, voicing the need to resolve local issues. Former Supreme Council member Kim, who served as the Gwangmyeong district committee chairman until early this year, needs to decide on a constituency. The only incumbent member (proportional representation) Heo listens directly to youth voices on low birth rates and seeks solutions, standing out in policy areas by voicing opinions on ‘pension reform’ and more. In a phone interview with Asia Economy, Assemblywoman Heo said, “Since the national audit is scheduled for October, I will focus on important legislation and policies until September,” adding, “As a legislative body, we must fundamentally monitor and check the government, so I intend to play that role.” Assemblyman Lee plans to publish a book related to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. A former Seongnam city council member, Lee earned the nickname ‘Lee Jae-myung sniper’ during the last presidential election by investigating the so-called ‘Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations.’ Lee explained the reason for writing the book: “It is out of a sense of justice to correct the misconceptions and misunderstandings accumulated by many citizens over the 10 years of experiencing Lee Jae-myung, the party’s powerlessness and frustration in not properly confronting him, and a sense of responsibility that ‘someone must do this.’”

They continue activities together as ‘Cheon-A-Yong-In’ both online and offline. Online, they share political opinions through the ‘Gogonghaengjin’ (meaning ‘people who worry, study, and act sincerely’) blog page. Former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yong-In attended the Jeju 4.3 Victims Memorial Ceremony after the party convention, and on the 30th of last month, they met about 300 supporters at a pub in Sinchon, Seoul, through the ‘Together, Gogonghaengjin’ gathering, continuing their offline activities. On the 17th, they will gather in Gwangju for the eve of the May 18 Democratic Uprising anniversary. Chairman Cheon emphasized, “Our party is by no means inferior to the Democratic Party in comforting the pain of Honam and Jeju,” adding, “Cheon-A-Yong-In, a relatively young generation without past burdens, can do much better than existing People Power Party politicians in these respects, so the basic idea is to do well and take meaningful actions while being able to do so.”

Will the winds of change continue?

Former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yong-In intend to consistently raise critical voices within the party. Although rumors of forming a new party have surfaced, they unanimously say, “We will shout for reform conservatism within the People Power Party.” Lee’s side said, “We are not considering third forces or centrist parties,” adding, “Conservatives are now voicing diverse opinions, and we will continue to instill hope in people that change is possible.” Former Supreme Council member Kim also emphasized, “In the past, when conservatism went in the wrong direction, the young faction called ‘Namwonjeong’ (Nam Kyung-pil, Won Hee-ryong, Jeong Byeong-guk) criticized and managed the party, but they have aged or retired from politics, so there is an analysis that Cheon-A-Yong-In has taken over the baton from Namwonjeong,” adding, “We call ourselves reform conservatives, and we believe that going this way is the path for the party.”

They also plan to focus on gathering talents capable of political generational change. The Gogonghaengjin blog already has former PPP deputy spokespersons Shin In-gyu and Lee Yoo-dong lending support. Chairman Cheon said, “We think we need to become a single force, but it’s not just about the five members of Cheon-A-Yong-In and former leader Lee; we need to increase talents who can bring about political generational change together,” adding, “Basically, the core group must be solid, so I believe it is meaningful to continue sending messages and working together without disbanding. It is not easy for an outside-the-parliament group to continue activities after the election, but although it is a rare attempt, we will steadily expand it so that it leads to a change of forces and generations.”

Um Kyung-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, predicted that former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yong-In will be more of an asset than a liability to the ruling party. Um said, “The ruling party is currently composed as a coalition, with President Yoon, presidential candidates, and on the other side, former leader Lee and young politicians,” adding, “It is very important whether the ruling party can maintain an appropriate balance in the general election, and rather than cutting off various resources, the voices of former leader Lee and Cheon-A-Yong-In themselves could be helpful to the People Power Party.”