Pro-Yoon Faction Launches Street Protests
Hardline Supporters Rally After Yoon's Release
Leadership Maintains Restraint While Meeting Yoon
Securing Space to Target Moderates in Presidential Race
Since President Yoon Suk-yeol's release, the People Power Party has been moving busily. While the pro-Yoon Suk-yeol (Pro-Yoon) faction is gearing up for full-scale street protests, the party leadership is increasing contact with President Yoon under a restraint policy.
On the 11th, the People Power Party will hold a party meeting to discuss the party's response direction after President Yoon's release. This is to diagnose the rapidly changing political situation and share countermeasures accordingly.
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on March 11, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
This meeting was arranged after some lawmakers demanded, "The party should discuss a hardline struggle to bring about the Constitutional Court's dismissal or rejection of the impeachment at the party level." The argument is that as the Democratic Party of Korea intensifies its offensive for President Yoon's removal through rallies and sit-ins, there is a need to counter this. A pro-Yoon lawmaker said, "Our party's leadership should also join in sit-ins or protests," adding, "The opinion was expressed that this is not a personal issue of the president but a matter of defending the system." Another People Power Party lawmaker emphasized, "Until now, actions were based on individual lawmakers' will, but from now on, regardless of the Constitutional Court's judgment, it is important for the party to show unity."
Currently, the consensus is that the leadership is unlikely to accept this. There are concerns that a confrontation with the Democratic Party in street protests could draw attention to the Democratic Party as well or unnecessarily provoke the judiciary.
However, some lawmakers, including Yoon Sang-hyun, plan to take individual actions. Lawmaker Yoon stated, "Lawmakers who share the same will are internally solidifying their resolve through overnight sit-ins or relay rallies," adding, "We will begin actions in front of the Constitutional Court starting today."
Separately, the leadership is quietly supporting President Yoon's residence politics under a restraint policy. Following phone calls between the party's 'two tops'?Emergency Committee Chairman Kwon Young-se and Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong?and President Yoon on the 8th, they visited the presidential residence on the 9th for a casual talk. At this meeting, President Yoon reportedly expressed his reflections on his time in detention and thanked the party for managing well during that period. However, the leadership drew a line, stating that they did not discuss political or political affairs. This is interpreted as an effort to secure space for the party to move after the impeachment ruling through a restrained relationship with the president.
In political circles, there is an analysis that the People Power Party has divided roles to target hardline conservatives and moderate voters separately. For now, they are expected to align with the hardline supporters who rallied around President Yoon's release before the impeachment ruling date, while focusing on targeting moderate voters centered on the candidate after the presidential election phase. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said, "Because the party primary is important, they will go with President Yoon for now, but after entering the full presidential election phase, they will switch to a moderate strategy," adding, "This role division is both a dilemma and reality faced by the People Power Party."
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