Division within People Power Party over Yoon Impeachment and Investigation... From Hardline Conservatives to Moderates

Leadership Takes a Wait-and-See Approach to "Individual Actions"
Yoon Criticized by Ahn, Who Holds Back Words Toward Lawmakers
Will Internal Strife in the People Power Party Worsen?

The People Power Party is showing signs of division over the impeachment and investigation of President Yoon Seok-yeol. While some lawmakers sympathize with the hardline conservative faction opposing the president's impeachment, others are maintaining a certain distance from the president but have participated in rallies in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to support party members. The party leadership is maintaining a wait-and-see stance, while some moderate lawmakers who criticize both the lawmakers attending the rallies and President Yoon for refusing to comply with the arrest warrant are also voicing their opinions. Analysts suggest that internal conflicts within the People Power Party could worsen once the impeachment process fully begins.

According to political circles on the 7th, the most vocal hardliner opposing the president's impeachment is Representative Yoon Sang-hyun. Since the issuance of the arrest warrant for President Yoon, Representative Yoon has been guarding the presidential residence daily alongside hardline party members. On the 3rd, when the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (PCC) attempted to execute the arrest warrant, Representative Yoon reportedly entered the residence and met with President Yoon.

Representative Kim Min-jeon is also classified as a hardliner. Kim, a former senior member of the People Power Party, had a major conflict with former party leader Han Dong-hoon. Kim stirred controversy by posting on her social media that "Chinese people are participating in rallies supporting President Yoon's impeachment." The source of this post is unclear, and it has since been deleted. Other hardliners include five-term Representative Cho Bae-sook, three-term Representative Lee Cheol-gyu, two-term Representative Park Seong-min, former presidential office officials Kang Seung-gyu and Lim Jong-deuk, and current members from Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK) such as Koo Ja-geun, Lee In-seon, and Cho Ji-yeon, who attended the rally on the 4th.

On the 6th, in front of the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, along with other party members, expressed their stance on the arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, following the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Department's official letter stating that it would entrust the execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon to the police. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

On the 6th, Representatives Kim Ki-hyun and Na Kyung-won, along with many TK and Busan-Gyeongnam (PK) lawmakers who attended the rally in front of the presidential residence, showed a somewhat different approach from these hardliners. They declined President Yoon's invitation to have lunch together and instead ordered separate lunch boxes. Rather than actively appealing to the hardline conservative base, they focus on pointing out illegal issues arising from the impeachment process and attack the PCC and the Democratic Party of Korea. Representative Park Chung-kwon, who attended the rally the previous day, said in a YTN radio interview on the 7th, "About 44 people went, and I think each had different motivations," but added, "I went with the thought that we must prevent further collapse of constitutional order and the judicial system."

The People Power Party leadership is even more detached, effectively taking a wait-and-see approach. The leadership described the lawmakers' attendance at the rally as "individual actions," distancing it from the party's official stance. Senior spokesperson Shin Dong-wook told reporters after the emergency committee meeting the previous day, "The leadership did not give any instructions," and "They went voluntarily, and the leadership has not received any reports on specific activities." This marks a change in position from former pro-Yoon (Yoon Seok-yeol) figures like Emergency Committee Chair Kwon Young-se and Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong.

On the 14th, People Power Party lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae remained seated immediately after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol was passed at the National Assembly plenary session. 2024.12.14 Yonhap News Agency

Moderate lawmakers within the People Power Party are also speaking out actively. They criticize party members who participated in the protests in front of the presidential residence and also point out President Yoon's refusal to comply with the arrest warrant. Representative Kim Jae-seop, a first-term lawmaker, and Representative Cho Kyung-tae, a six-term lawmaker, are representative moderates. Kim expressed concern on SBS Radio that "voters who loosely supported the People Power Party might turn their backs." Cho said on MBC Radio, "The president is not a king," adding, "In a democratic country, the sovereign owner is not the president but the people. Protecting the people and working for them is natural, but this natural order is now being broken within the People Power Party. It's regrettable."

Representative Ahn Cheol-soo, who supported impeachment, expressed a subtly different position from the moderates. In a press conference on the 6th, Ahn said, "If the declaration of martial law was to protect liberal democracy and the constitution, I hope President Yoon will fight calmly and confidently in court based on legal principles," and added, "Objections to the arrest and search warrants should be raised in court and follow the judgment. To prevent clashes between law enforcement agencies, national division, and sacrifices by the people, a decision must be made." He warned the party, "The more the party is branded as a martial law-supporting or pro-Yoon party, the less likely it is to prevent Lee Jae-myung's administration, making our party's governance impossible and threatening the party's very existence." However, Ahn was reserved about the actions of party lawmakers gathered at the presidential residence, saying, "I understand it as a way to gauge public sentiment."