Even Calls for Yoon to Leave the Party... Party-Government Conflict Intensifies 9 Days Before General Election

Ham Un-kyung "Respectfully Requesting Yoon to Resign from Party Membership"
Han Dong-hoon "(Medical School Expansion) Not a Matter to Get Lost in Numbers"
Warning Against Internal Criticism... Hong Joon-pyo "The President We Made"

As demands for President Yoon to leave the party arise within the People Power Party, the party appears to be engulfed in turmoil just nine days before the general election.

On the morning of the 28th, Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, appealed for support for Ham Woon-kyung, the candidate for Mapo-eul, at the 22nd general election campaign site held at Mangwon Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Ham Woon-kyung, the People Power Party candidate running in Mapo-gu Eul, Seoul, demanded on her Facebook on the 1st, "President Yoon should step away from politics and focus solely on fair election management." She also fiercely criticized, "If he insists on the logic of administration and government control, I politely request him to leave the cumbersome membership of the People Power Party."

Han Dong-hoon, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, also issued a statement regarding the remarks while campaigning in Busan that day. He said, "Increasing the number of doctors is an essential policy for the health of the people and a policy that must be accomplished," but added, "Since it is a matter directly related to the health of the people, it should not be fixated on numbers." He continued, "Therefore, our People Power Party strongly requested the government to engage in broad dialogue and consultation, including the number of increases, and promptly reach a conclusion for the people," and stated, "We hope the government will take action in the direction the people desire."

President Yoon announced in a national address that morning that he would maintain the plan to increase medical school quotas by 2,000. President Yoon said, "Some argue that increasing by 2,000 at once is excessive," and added, "That is absolutely not the case. The 2,000 is the minimum increase calculated meticulously by the government, and it has undergone sufficient and extensive discussions with medical organizations, including doctor groups."

There had been demands for coordination on the plan to increase medical school quotas, mainly from candidates running in the metropolitan area. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-chairman of the People Power Party’s joint election committee running in Bundang-gap, Seongnam, said on SBS Radio on the 27th of last month, "(The increase in medical school quotas) of 4,000 or 2,000 is, in my opinion, all arbitrary," and demanded, "Let's reconsider the appropriate number for medical school increases." On the same day, Ahn also said at the Central Election Committee meeting, "We strongly urge the government once again to reconsider the medical school quota increase plan in the social medical reform consultative body," and added, "Furthermore, it is inevitable to dismiss the government officials responsible for causing the medical crisis."

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

However, some pointed out that the 'internal attacks' against President Yoon should stop. Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, criticized on his Facebook that day, "How dare those who have been here only a few days demand that the president we made leave the party?" and said, "Those who should pack up if they lose the election are not thinking about winning but blaming the president. If you campaign with that mindset, you will never win."