Yeo Leadership Begins, Yoon's Line Meeting Scheduled... Concerns Over Losing Centrist Support

Pro-Yoon Lawmakers Push for Detention Center Visits
"Preventing Visits Is a Dictatorial Mindset"
Kim Sangwook: "Feels Like Paying Respects to a King"

Controversy continues inside and outside the party over the visits of key People Power Party politicians, including Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kwon Young-se, Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong, and Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won, to meet President Yoon Suk-yeol. Pro-Yoon figures who have visited or plan to visit insist that the visits are legitimate. However, there are considerable concerns that aligning with President Yoon's prison politics could alienate moderate public sentiment.

According to the ruling party on the 4th, pro-Yoon lawmakers are also pushing for visits to the detention center. These lawmakers believe there is no reason not to visit since President Yoon is the incumbent president. Chairman Kwon also told reporters at the National Assembly the previous day, "He is a president from our party, and he is only currently suspended from duty."

One pro-Yoon lawmaker questioned in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "Isn't it a dictatorial mindset to tell us not to visit our party's president who is detained?"

Kwon Young-se, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

However, as President Yoon's visits have shifted from the Hannam-dong residence politics to prison politics at Seoul Detention Center, it is pointed out that while the strong support base can be solidly maintained, there are problems in expanding outreach to the moderate faction.

There are also significant concerns that President Yoon's visits could burden efforts to broaden appeal to moderates. Among moderates, support for the People Power Party is weak. According to a survey conducted by the polling agency 'Research View' from January 29 to 31 during the Lunar New Year holiday, targeting 1,000 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide (conducted via ARS method, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and a response rate of 5.8%), among the 374 respondents who identified as moderates (weighted to 366), 53% supported the Democratic Party, while 37% supported the People Power Party. For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

Assemblyman Kim Sang-wook, who voted in favor of lifting martial law, told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "Democracy and politics move according to each person's thoughts, and that inevitably leads to political parties, so it can't be helped," but he also criticized, "They carried out an illegal act of emergency martial law, so does it mean it doesn't matter if democracy is damaged? It feels like paying respects to a king. From the perspective of right and wrong, it is a wrong act."

Earlier, Assemblyman Kim Jae-seop told reporters at the National Assembly the previous day regarding Chairman Kwon and Floor Leader Kwon's visit to President Yoon, "We need an emergency response committee that competes in innovation rather than one that is held back by the past, but going to meet the president feels like being stuck in the past," and criticized, "I am concerned about the party's rightward shift."