[Insight & Opinion] Differences Between Foreign Right-Wing Parties and the People Power Party

Recently, right-wing parties have been making significant gains in the United States and Europe. The U.S. Republican Party produced President Donald Trump and gained control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. In Germany, the centrist conservative Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union took power. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a conservative in her 40s, has risen from being called "the most dangerous woman in Europe" to "the most influential figure in Europe," according to the American political media outlet Politico. Hardline right-wing parties are also leading governments in the Netherlands, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia. The same is true for the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and Austria, where "far-right" or "alternative right" parties have significantly expanded their influence.

In contrast, South Korea's right-wing party, the People Power Party, has been on a continual decline, experiencing a reduction in seats, the impeachment of the president, and defeat in the presidential election. What differentiates foreign right-wing parties from the People Power Party? The two sides diverge in terms of image and agenda.

According to Professor Jung Hyejeong of Dongguk University, the far-right Alternative for Germany party achieved electoral success by constantly highlighting the image of "ordinary people" in its television advertisements. In the West, right-wing and even far-right forces have worked hard to build an image of "ordinary, diligent, and sensible people" in their respective countries.

However, the martial law declared by former President Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party is far removed from the image of ordinary people. The slogan "Yoon Again" (calling for Yoon Suk-yeol's political comeback) promoted by some members of the People Power Party is also not seen as sensible. If a party is perceived as "strange and irrational," it becomes emotionally isolated from the public. The People Power Party seems unaware of a principle that even European far-right parties understand.

In terms of agenda, right-wing parties in Europe have made restricting foreign immigration a central issue and have prioritized the interests of their own citizens above all else. Trump's "Make America Great Again" symbolizes this orientation, which is shared among Western right-wing parties. As the increase in foreign immigrants led to job losses and a surge in crime, these parties gained public sympathy.

In South Korea, the influx of immigrants is not a serious issue. Instead, for example, 96.7% of small and medium-sized enterprises report suffering losses due to Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Ali and Temu (according to surveys). China's low-price offensive, backed by unfair subsidies, is driving Korean companies and small business owners to the brink. If the People Power Party had acted as U.S. and European right-wing parties do, it would have moved to regulate China, even at the risk of conflict. If that had happened, a "cultural backlash" among declining small and medium-sized businesses, small merchants, and the working class might have emerged, driving support for the right-wing party. This kind of backlash was a driving force behind the rise of right-wing parties to power in the United States and Europe.

The key point is that the policies of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and the campaign promises of People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moonsoo were colorless, odorless, and bland in terms of setting national agendas. Instead, the Yoon administration and the People Power Party continuously made internal disputes?such as pro-Yoon vs. anti-Yoon, impeachment supporters vs. opponents, and accusations of betrayal?the main issues. While Trump made extreme claims, lied, and used hate speech, he appealed to the public by uniting the Republican Party.

In contrast, after barely becoming president with the help of non-mainstream figures and candidate unification, Yoon Suk-yeol turned his back on those supporters. During Yoon's administration, the anti-Yoon faction engaged in power struggles against their own party's president even more fiercely than the opposition. Both Yoon Suk-yeol and the anti-Yoon faction appeared to many voters as "an unstable and divided group."

Even now, the core leadership of the People Power Party is split into two camps. One group is determined to prevent the party from regaining an image of normalcy, sensibility, and ordinariness. The other group is only accustomed to regressive agenda-setting, packaging attacks on internal rivals as hot topics and flooding news and social media with them.

Professor Heo Manseop, Kangnung National University