Jang Donghyuk Speeds Up Shift to Local Election Mode, But Time Bombs Remain

Feb. 19 First-Instance Verdict for Yoon... "Cut Ties with Yoon" vs. "Yoon Again" Conflict Intensifies
Post-Lunar New Year Shifts in Public Opinion Also in Focus

The People Power Party is expected to begin in earnest its preparations to shift into full election mode after the Lunar New Year holiday. However, some observers believe that switching to campaign mode will not be easy, as internal ideological conflicts could be reignited after the first-instance verdict on Feb. 19 in the sedition and treason case against former President Yoon Sukyeol.

According to political circles on the 14th, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday the People Power Party carried out organizational restructuring to transition into a local election system, appointing the heads of the Talent Recruitment Committee and the Nomination Management Committee and beginning work to revise the party constitution and party rules.

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is attending a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on Feb. 9, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

First, Lee Junghyun, a three-term lawmaker from the Honam region and former leader of the Saenuri Party, was appointed as chair of the Nomination Management Committee. Lee, who is classified as having pro-Park Geunhye and pro-Yoon Sukyeol tendencies, has the record of being elected twice in a constituency in Honam, which is considered a difficult region for the People Power Party, and has also served in the key post of ruling party leader. His appointment is therefore seen as a choice that took into account both symbolism and political weight. Party leader Jang Donghyuk has stated, "By being elected twice in Honam, a difficult region for our party, he has symbolically demonstrated the values of integration and challenge."

Second-term lawmaker Cho Junghoon from the Seoul metropolitan area was appointed as chair of the Talent Recruitment Committee. All committee members were formed from people in their 30s and 40s, including lawmakers Cho Jiyeon and Park Chungkwon. This reflects the intention to actively discover young people. The Talent Recruitment Committee is currently working to identify the first batch of recruits immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday.

The revision of the party constitution and party rules has also been completed. On the 12th, the People Power Party held a National Committee meeting and passed an amendment allowing the Central Party Nomination Management Committee to recommend candidates for basic-level local government heads in districts, cities, and counties with a population of 500,000 or more, or in those approved by the Supreme Council. The amendment also introduced a mandatory nomination system for women and young people in metropolitan and basic council elections, and adopted quantitative bonus points that add up to 20 points to primary vote percentages to expand youth participation.

After the Lunar New Year holiday, the People Power Party is expected to accelerate the formation of the Nomination Management Committee and related work. In early March, it plans to adopt a new party name, party platform and policies, and revised party constitution and rules, and thereby move into a full-fledged election system.

However, despite these efforts to reorganize, potential triggers for internal conflict remain scattered throughout the party. The first-instance verdict for former President Yoon immediately after the holiday is the eye of the storm. If he is convicted of sedition regardless of the sentence, demands within the party for a complete break with Yoon could erupt once again. This is also tied to how the party defines its relationship with the so-called "Yoon Again" faction, including YouTubers Go Seongguk and Jeon Hangil.

Supreme Council member Yang Hyangja appeared on YTN Radio and argued, "The messages from Mr. Jeon Hangil and Mr. Go Seongguk are isolating the party and making it extremely violent, and this situation is not appropriate," adding, "They should be expelled from the party, even if it means cutting off one of our own."

The leadership, including party leader Jang, is still maintaining an ambiguous stance on this issue. Depending on their position, members of the leadership have made somewhat different remarks, such as, "We cannot win an election with the Yoon Again faction alone," and, "If we do not win the election, we cannot achieve anything. We will not be able to secure the release of former President Yoon either."

Jang himself also avoided giving a direct answer when he appeared recently on the Munhwa Ilbo YouTube channel. In response to a related question, he said, "Continuously putting this issue on the agenda keeps sowing the seeds of division," and added, "If necessary, if such a situation arises, I will state my position in the language appropriate for a party leader."

Disputes over disciplinary action between factions also remain unresolved. The Central Ethics Committee of the People Power Party handed down a heavy penalty of "one-year suspension of party membership" to lawmaker Bae Hyunjin, who is classified as belonging to the pro-Ahn Cheolsoo camp and serves as head of the Seoul City Party chapter. Because her party membership has been suspended, Bae will automatically lose her position as head of the Seoul City Party chapter. With criticism mounting that this is a targeted disciplinary measure aimed at controlling nomination rights for the June 3 local elections, internal conflict over this issue is expected to intensify even further.

The direction of public opinion after the holiday is also a key point to watch. In a nationwide public opinion survey conducted by the National Barometer Survey (NBS) from Feb. 2 to 4 (1,003 respondents nationwide, telephone interviews, margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, response rate 15.9%), 36% said that in the upcoming local elections "the opposition party should be empowered to keep the current government in check," down 4 percentage points from the previous week. The share of respondents saying that the ruling party should be empowered stood at 52%, a gap beyond the margin of error.

If no clear turnaround emerges, there is a strong possibility that the internal strife will flare up again. Lawmaker Han Jia said on CBS, "Support for the People Power Party in Daegu, our last stronghold, is still high but is gradually declining, and this is a very serious warning sign and alarm," adding, "The leadership needs to take this into account and formulate a strategy."