[Exploring Ruling Party Leadership Candidates]④ 'Conservative Innovation' Yoon Sang-hyun, Will He Revive the Winning DNA?

Relatively Low Recognition... Experience Winning in Challenging Areas Is an Advantage
Political and Diplomatic Expertise... Differentiation from Candidates with Legal Backgrounds

"We must blow up the party center and innovate"

Yoon Sang-hyun, a candidate challenging for the leadership of the People Power Party, continuously advocates for conservative innovation and party reform. The word "innovation" appears 17 times in his declaration of candidacy. Having survived every time in the tough electoral district of Incheon in the metropolitan area, Candidate Yoon emphasizes, "Only those who have experienced winning elections can create a winning party." Can Yoon, who overcame the pain of being cut off in the last party convention, achieve his goal of innovating conservatism and building a winning party?

Since immediately after the general election, Candidate Yoon has held ten seminars under the name "Conservative Innovation Grand March." At the tenth seminar on the 20th, he said, "Even after suffering the worst defeat in the history of the ruling party since the 1987 system, the People Power Party has not engaged in desperate reflection and innovation," adding, "The reason we have held ten seminars and intensely written reflections on the general election is because it is an essential path for the success of the party, the president, and my own political survival."

Facing Candidate Yoon, who longs for conservative innovation, are the weaknesses of low recognition and the crisis of being "lowest in opinion polls." According to a "People Power Party Next Leader Suitability" survey conducted by Straight News through Jowon C&I from the 22nd to the 24th, Yoon recorded 6%, the lowest suitability among the four candidates. Compared to candidates Na Kyung-won, Won Hee-ryong, and Han Dong-hoon, relatively low recognition is also an obstacle. Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University said in a phone interview, "Candidate Na was the floor leader, and Candidate Han is almost like a former party leader. Minister Won has long been mentioned as a presidential candidate and has quite high recognition," adding, "It is true that Candidate Yoon's recognition is somewhat lacking. However, aside from low recognition, there don't seem to be any clear weaknesses."

Yoon's background as a senior figure in the metropolitan area and his diplomatic and political sensibilities are his strengths. The People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat in the 22nd general election, winning only 19 out of 122 seats in the metropolitan area. Even in Incheon, which includes Yoon's constituency, the party secured only 2 out of 14 seats. This highlights Yoon's victory in a tough metropolitan district. He previously ran as an independent in two general elections in the challenging Incheon district and survived. Unlike the other three candidates who are lawyers, Yoon majored in economics, diplomacy, and political science. In the 20th National Assembly, he was the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, demonstrating his outstanding diplomatic and political acumen.

Although trailing in approval ratings, the early stage of the election and the possibility of a runoff vote could be opportunities for Candidate Yoon. As each candidate expresses opinions on current issues such as the "Special Prosecutor Law for Chae Sang-byeong" and "nuclear armament theory," voter sentiment may shift. Although Candidate Han is leading in various opinion polls, if he fails to secure a majority in the first round, the election will proceed to a runoff. An official from Yoon's campaign said, "If a runoff occurs, how the candidates form alliances will be crucial," and added, "We need to watch how the TK and PK voter sentiments respond in future candidate debates."