[So Jong-seop's Sokterview] Jo Hae-jin "Skeptical about the Sustainability of the People Power Party"

Interview with Former PPP Lawmaker Cho Hae-jin (Three-Term Member)
"Han Donghoon Has Assets, But Needs to Think Deeply and Look Far Ahead"
"Lee Junseok Should Work Toward a Unified Conservative Candidate"
"Lee Jaemyung's 'Centrist Conservative' Claim Is Mere Wordplay"

Former People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Cho Hae-jin, a three-term member who served as chairman of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee and Education Committee, appeared on Asia Economy's YouTube channel AK Radio on the 6th. Cho said, "I am skeptical whether the People Power Party is a party worthy of conservative values," adding, "Regardless of whether the impeachment is accepted or the presidential election is won or lost, it will not be easy to survive unless revolutionary changes are made." He also predicted that if the Constitutional Court accepts the impeachment, PPP supporters will think about "who can beat Lee Jae-myung," which could lead to changes in the PPP's presidential candidate landscape.

How is the public sentiment in your constituency (Gimhae City Eul)?

At the beginning of the martial law period, people were shocked and very negative, critical. Support for impeachment was strong. But within a month or two, it changed drastically. Even the city and provincial council members in the constituency initially said, in crude terms, that it was ruined, but now they say it's worth trying. This change is visible in the indicators.

Why do you think two presidents from conservative parties have been impeached in the past 10 years?

First, the political DNA of conservative parties is weak. They have little interest in or are somewhat ignorant of the strategies and tactics of progressive left-wing parties. Conservative parties basically accept election results. After elections, even if they feel wronged, they think they must wait until the next term and do not consider other options. But the opposing parties see elections as just one way to seize power and do not wait for the next five years. They consider impeachment as a Plan B to remove the president midway.

For example, during President Lee Myung-bak's term, only three months after inauguration, calls for resignation, stepping down, and impeachment arose at the candlelight protests in Gwanghwamun. At that time, the Lee Myung-bak administration responded well and overcame it by accepting public sentiment, the president apologizing, and a large number of Blue House aides resigning. Although the opposition attempted impeachment, it failed. However, during President Park Geun-hye's term, it succeeded. They are trying again now.

Isn't there some fault on the ruling party's part?

We ourselves created the environment for impeachment. First, through internal strife and division, we shrank our ruling base. When President Park Geun-hye took office, she immediately started purging the Lee Myung-bak government. From then on, division occurred, and the pro-Lee Myung-bak faction distanced itself from the regime's support base. President Yoon Suk-yeol also, right after taking office, cut off Representative Lee Jun-seok and his faction, undermining his own ruling base. The regime continued acts that alienated public sentiment. As approval ratings fell and the base weakened, the opposition saw a good environment to push for impeachment and build up support. If impeachment succeeds this time, impeachment by progressive left-wing parties could become the new normal. It's truly regrettable.

Do you think President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment will be accepted or dismissed?

In political circles, it seems that impeachment acceptance is taken for granted. The media also mostly follows that trend... However, looking at the objective situation, is impeachment really that obvious? During President Park Geun-hye's time, the impeachment mood was almost a majority. Yet, to my recollection, there were two internal dissenters against impeachment. Although the final decision was unanimous dismissal...

Currently, the president's approval rating is close to 50%, and the party's approval rating is similar. On the streets, the number of participants opposing impeachment rallies far exceeds those supporting impeachment rallies. Some justices have overstepped, damaging the Constitutional Court's fairness and credibility. We need to wait and see the outcome.

There seem to be various definitions of 'conservatism' even within the People Power Party. What do you consider 'conservative'?

It is a sense of ownership. Conservatism is fundamentally about having a sense of ownership and responsibility to protect, lead, and develop this country. Based on that, conservatism values human dignity, the value of life, the importance of family, and prioritizes the community. It is about growing the country through gradual reforms rather than radical ones, achieving substantial national development, and improving the quality of life for the people. If I were to name three representative conservatives, President Syngman Rhee was a founding revolutionary, President Park Chung-hee was a modernization revolutionary, and President Kim Young-sam was a democratization revolutionary.

Is the People Power Party effectively embodying conservative values?

It is confusing. I am quite skeptical whether the party aligns with conservative identity, shares conservative identity, meets conservative standards, or is a party worthy of conservative values. I entered politics in 1992 and joined a conservative party in 1996. It's been 30 years. Looking at this party over time, the peak of conservative parties was around President Kim Young-sam's era. Since then, it has continuously declined and is now almost at rock bottom.

What is the reason?

If I had to pick one, the people who have become the party's owners at each time lack a sense of ownership. They think of it as a stepping stone to become president or a temporary position as party leader. They did not cultivate or prepare by insightfully considering the party's roots, traditions, and values with a long-term perspective. They only used it for election purposes. To achieve that goal, they always tried to control the party and used nomination rights to do so. They conducted factional nominations and nominated people who were their allies or obedient, which caused nomination turmoil and party division. The party kept losing elections, seats decreased, and power weakened. Rather than conservative identity, values, responsibility, or mission, everyone was busy looking out for themselves. As a result, there was no cohesion or unity, and individual survival tactics became second nature. Grand discourse disappeared.

But the party's approval rating is relatively high, isn't it?

It's not because our party is doing well. It's because they oppose impeachment and are carried by the flow of supporting the president. The public sees the People Power Party as largely responsible for the current situation. I am somewhat skeptical about whether this party can sustain itself as a political party and continue to survive. Regardless of impeachment acceptance or the presidential election outcome, if the party does not create revolutionary changes internally, survival will be difficult. If it shrinks further, it may become a regional party or fall to a minority party.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said, "The Democratic Party is a centrist conservative party." What do you think?

Basically, it's wordplay. Since the People Power Party looks fragmented, they think it's easy to take advantage. It's a strategy to push the People Power Party to the far right and capture centrist conservative votes. They shifted right but had little effect, and internal strife occurred, so as a shock therapy, they outright called themselves conservative. It doesn't make sense because Lee's basic political base is the Gyeonggi Eastern Alliance, a radical faction. He is still surrounded by the 586 left-wing activists. How can such a person be centrist conservative? They should be more strategic and dignified in their calculations, but it's just childish wordplay.

Let's talk about Myung Tae-gyu. Do you know him?

I don't know him well, but I know enough.

What kind of person is he?

It's hard to know someone precisely. My impression from meeting him is that he is politically very talented. He has judgment, insight, and planning ability. He not only comes up with solutions and alternatives when problems arise but also actively engages in political activities to implement them. In my 30 years in politics, I have met many political strategists, theorists, and tacticians, and I felt he was quite outstanding among them. Ordinary people often try to use famous people, but Mr. Myung had no such greed. That was unique. However, if the situation worsens, he could become a risk or problem.

Do you have any relationship with former Representative Cho?

We haven't discussed much about work. I am a very inadequate person, but he gave me various advice and encouraged me to have big dreams. I appreciated that. We had few opportunities to work together practically. There may be various controversies or suspicions related to Mr. Myung, but legal issues are a different matter.

Among the People Power Party's presidential candidates, Minister Kim Moon-soo is leading in approval ratings.

When the primary begins, people will naturally think about who can beat Representative Lee Jae-myung in the general election and who has the highest chance of winning. Whether Minister Kim will be the top priority remains to be seen. Although this fight emerged from the impeachment crisis, its essence is a system struggle, a system war. In this regard, among the PPP candidates, Minister Kim gives the impression of being the most resolute and combative. It would be good if he becomes a candidate and wins. But if he lacks the ability to attract moderate voters, we need to consider who can draw the centrist vote.

What about Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon?

Since Myung Tae-gyun's name has been mentioned in connection with him, he seems to have suffered unintended damage. If that is resolved, he has a chance to recover. The public cares not only about which party governs but also who will lead the country toward harmony and unity afterward. In that sense, people tend to give more credit to someone like Mayor Oh. If he prepares well to meet those expectations, he can be a competitive candidate for our party.

※ Click to watch the full interview.

Former Representative Han Dong-hoon has also started active campaigning.

Regarding Han Dong-hoon's approval rating, I haven't analyzed it in detail, but I feel that a significant portion of his support comes from centrists or Democratic Party supporters. Looking optimistically, winning the presidential election requires attracting the centrist vote and even some of the opponent's supporters. In that respect, former Representative Han has assets. The problem is that he must become a candidate within the party, but criticism is strong. Being in his early 50s, he still has time, so rather than trying to win quickly, it is more important to become a great leader. To do so, he needs to deeply think about what politics and the state are, what the future vision of the Republic of Korea should be, and make efforts to look far ahead and gain broad experience.

Can you work with Reform New Party Representative Lee Jun-seok? Which side do you think will gain more votes?

Looking ahead and thinking about conservative politics, I hope Representative Lee nurtures his dreams within the conservative political sphere. When President Yoon Suk-yeol expelled Representative Lee, I not only publicly opposed it but also tried to stop it. Looking back now, if President Yoon had not expelled Lee, would impeachment have happened? Would we have lost the general election? It's regrettable. Because of that, I was misunderstood and suffered some political disadvantages. Regardless of which side gains more votes when Representative Lee runs independently, if his line is conservative, he should support conservatism's return to power, nurture his dreams there, and become a leader. Even if he runs separately within the Reform New Party during the party's primary, I hope there will be a unification of conservative candidates.

Since Representative Lee has lost much of his support base, reuniting with our party is a key task for him to regain a foundation for future major politics. I hope to work together. I hope he takes steps with that in mind.