Japan's Jiji Press Analyzes Jo Guk Phenomenon Ahead of General Election
"Popularity of Jo Guk Party Due to Regime Judgment and Anti-Lee Jae-myung Sentiment"
Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is holding a press conference on reforming prosecutorial and other power institutions at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
Japanese media have analyzed that the Joguk Innovation Party, led by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, is becoming the "eye of the storm" in next month's general election.
On the 27th, Japan's Jiji Press reported, "The April general election, seen as a 'mid-term evaluation' of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration supported by South Korea's conservative forces, appears to have the Joguk Innovation Party, led by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk from the Moon Jae-in government, as the 'eye of the storm'." Jiji Press noted that although the Joguk Party was founded in early March and is still new, it is receiving over 20% support in various opinion polls, adding, "It has the potential to bring changes to the ongoing two-party confrontation."
The agency introduced a press conference held on the same day (27th) by Representative Cho Kuk at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in the Seoul Press Center. At the event, Cho raised the issue of judgment against President Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party. Jiji Press quoted Cho's statement: "The majority of the people are disappointed and angry at the incompetence and irresponsibility of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. There was no party that could represent the people's thoughts."
Jiji Press viewed the support base of the Joguk Innovation Party as overlapping with that of the reformist opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, with many male voters in their 40s and 50s. It continued, "The Democratic Party of Korea is losing many supporters as confusion spreads due to the party management under Representative Lee Jae-myung, who is criticized for being dogmatic. The Joguk Innovation Party aims to accommodate the dissatisfaction of these people by not fielding candidates in the single-member constituencies (254 seats) but focusing on proportional representation (46 seats), urging voters to vote for the Democratic Party in single-member districts. This election strategy is currently succeeding," it reported.
Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is giving a greeting at a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in the Seoul Press Center on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The agency introduced the trend of the Joguk Innovation Party's support rate in South Korea, mentioning that former Representative Cho resigned as Minister of Justice amid various allegations including admission fraud, and that he was sentenced to prison in the second trial regarding fraudulent admission and is currently appealing. It added, "Cho criticized President Yoon's administration as a 'prosecutorial dictatorship,' and although ruling party candidates criticize him for participating in politics as retaliation, the confrontation with the administration is gaining support from anti-conservative voters, which is a factor in the Joguk Innovation Party's rise."
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