Ruling Party: "Visits to Former Presidents Are Natural"
Calls for Caution Against Overinterpretation, Hopes for Conservative Faction Unity
The leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) has drawn political attention after visiting former President Park Geun-hye on the 13th. While the PPP cautioned against attributing special significance, stating that "visiting a former president is a natural act," the move is being seen as an effort to unify the conservative base ahead of next year's general election, which is about seven months away.
On that day, PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon and other party leaders visited former President Park's residence in Dalseong County, Daegu, and held a meeting with her for about 50 minutes. This was the first meeting between the PPP leadership and former President Park since her special pardon in December 2021.
Former President Park reportedly conveyed an encouraging message to Kim Gi-hyeon to "lead the general election well" and responded positively to President Yoon Seok-yeol's request for a meeting.
Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is meeting former President Park Geun-hye at her residence in Daegu on the afternoon of the 13th. / Provided by the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]
After the meeting, Kim told reporters, "When I told President Yoon today that I was going to visit former President Park Geun-hye, he asked me to convey that he would like to meet her once." He added, "So I relayed this to former President Park today, and she responded positively."
President Yoon had met with former President Park once on April 12 last year when he was still president-elect. Subsequently, former President Park attended President Yoon's inauguration ceremony.
Regarding the significance of the visit to former President Park, Secretary-General Lee Cheol-gyu explained in a KBS radio interview, "Just as Leader Lee Jae-myung visited former President Moon Jae-in, Leader Kim's visit to former President Park is the same." He added, "Since they are former presidents from our party who have gone through many hardships, it is natural to visit the elder, pay respects, and listen to their past governance experiences."
However, given that the meeting took place about seven months before next year's general election, there is also an expectation of its effect on unifying the conservative camp. Kim said, "In order to win the general election, conservatives must unite strongly, so we need to gather the experience and influence that former President Park holds to achieve great unity."
At the same time, the PPP is also focusing on expanding its outreach. On the 12th, Kim met with Yang Hyang-ja, co-leader of the new party 'Hope of Korea,' which was recently founded. On the 31st of last month, he also had a breakfast meeting with Cheon Ha-ram, former chairman of the Suncheon Gap district party committee, who is classified as part of the Lee Jun-seok faction. This is interpreted as an attempt to consolidate traditional conservative supporters while also appealing to moderate voters to unite the camp.
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