People Power Party Presidential Primary Contenders Voice Unified Opposition
Han Donghoon: "Even North Korea Wouldn't Do This"
Ahn Cheolsoo: "A Surprise Coup and Disgraceful Spectacle"
Na Kyungwon: "Devastated and Apologetic to the Public"
Senior Lawmakers Like Cho Kyungtae and Yoon Sanghyun Urge Caution
Big Tent Advocates Lee Nakyon and Lee Junseok Also Criticize
Lee Nakyon: "Not Running... PPP Still Hasn't Come to Its Senses"
Lee Junseok: "Four-Time Offender in Ousting Leaders and Candidates"
As the leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) moved to replace its presidential candidate late at night on May 10, backlash erupted among presidential primary contenders, senior lawmakers, and anti-Yoon faction lawmakers. In addition, criticism from Lee Junseok, the Reform New Party’s presidential candidate, and the announcement by Lee Nakyon, adviser to the New Future Democratic Party, that he would not run?despite expectations?have led to predictions that both the “big tent” and “small tent” strategies have become difficult to pursue.
Han Donghoon, former PPP leader who competed against Kim Moonsu in the party’s third presidential primary, posted on Facebook that “the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Sukyeol) faction of the PPP brought in a single candidate favored by the pro-Yoon group at 3 a.m. and unilaterally nominated him through a forced process. They made a surprise announcement just before the vote, physically preventing others from registering as candidates,” adding, “Even North Korea wouldn’t do this.”
Previously, Kim’s camp and Han’s camp held unification talks at the National Assembly the day before, but clashed over the inclusion of a clause to prevent reverse selection in opinion polls. When negotiations broke down, the PPP’s emergency leadership committee and election management committee convened in the early morning, stripped Kim of his presidential candidacy, and nominated former Prime Minister Han as the new presidential candidate. Kim denounced this as a “midnight political coup” and declared he would pursue legal and political action.
Han also stated, “If, through such a process, Han Deoksoo is forcibly presented as the PPP’s candidate, how many votes do you think we’ll get from the public?” He added, “The pro-Yoon faction is only interested in preserving their vested interests; they were never interested in victory to begin with. It is regrettable that the PPP still seems to be swayed by former President Yoon Sukyeol, First Lady Kim Keonhee, and their followers.”
Former primary candidates Ahn Cheolsoo and Na Kyungwon also strongly criticized the party leadership. Ahn wrote on Facebook that the overnight candidate replacement was “a coup-like act by the party leadership, canceling a democratically and legitimately elected candidate in the dead of night while party members and the public slept, and in effect installing a new candidate in a disgraceful spectacle.” He continued, “This will go down as an unprecedented dark day and a record of shame in the history of democratic parties worldwide,” and urged, “In the 21st century, under the bright light of day, we must not destroy the party with emergency martial law and a presidential candidate replacement coup.” Na also posted on Facebook, “In the end......” and added, “I am devastated. I apologize to party members and the public. This is not the People Power Party I know and love.”
The leadership also faced criticism from senior party lawmakers. Yoon Sanghyun wrote on Facebook, “Forcibly replacing candidate Kim Moonsu brings neither practical benefit nor inspiration.” He added, “From Kim’s perspective, it’s not entirely wrong to say that the promise of unification was broken. The negotiations over the method of opinion polling between the candidates had only one hurdle left?why couldn’t the leadership wait before crossing the final threshold? The party leadership must reconsider and create a space for a grand compromise.”
Cho Kyungtae, a six-term lawmaker from the pro-Han (pro-Han Donghoon) faction, said, “This is a fraud on the public and a coup. If the emergency committee selects a specific candidate without a single TV debate or vetting process, this will cause unprecedented division and threaten the very existence of the party.”
Not only Cho, but many other pro-Han lawmakers also expressed concern about the party leadership. Bae Hyunjin wrote on Facebook, “Was the plan to force things through, no matter who was elected, not just Kim Moonsu?” She added, “I have tried hard to respect the party, but this midnight chaos clearly constitutes a serious challenge to the party’s principles.” Park Junghoon commented, “This ‘midnight nomination of Han Deoksoo’ will go down as a shameful event, showing just how far removed our party’s morality and common sense are from those of the public.”
Some former lawmakers, local party chapter heads, and party members also issued statements calling for the resignation of the entire emergency committee and election commission. They stated, “Last night, the emergency committee declared a ‘state of emergency’ based on the approval of just over 60 lawmakers, replacing the presidential candidate who had been officially elected through the party’s primary. If such extraordinary measures are abused as if declaring martial law, not only will their effectiveness be lost, but it will also provoke fierce public resistance.”
As the internal atmosphere within the PPP over the candidate replacement heads toward catastrophe, criticism from adviser Lee Nakyon and candidate Lee Junseok suggests that the anti-Lee Jaemyung coalition has effectively collapsed. Lee Nakyon, in a message to party members, wrote, “In this era of madness, driven by the extreme politics of the two major parties, I have realized that there is little I can achieve through the election,” and announced, “After much deliberation, I have decided not to run in this presidential election.” He continued, “I will not help anyone else’s campaign,” and “I have nothing to say to the PPP, which still has not come to its senses,” drawing a clear line against the big tent strategy.
Lee Junseok also wrote on Facebook, “I never expected them to reflect on or apologize for unceremoniously ousting a party leader who had led the party to consecutive election victories, but I was shocked to see them repeat the same offense with the presidential candidate. With the ousting of leaders and candidates, the party now has four such records.”
As the PPP leadership’s decision faces criticism both inside and outside the party, there are predictions that not only the big tent but even the small tent strategy has collapsed. Shin Yul, professor of political science and diplomacy at Myongji University, commented, “The most fundamental value of conservatism is the rule of law, and former President Yoon Sukyeol broke that. Now, the PPP has once again broken the rule of law within the party. In this situation, what can they show to conservative voters?”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
