With the national convention to elect a leader of the People Power Party approaching in a month, the separation from far-right forces has emerged as a key agenda. In particular, the activities of the Innovation Committee emphasizing personnel renewal and the admission of Jeon Han-gil, a Korean history instructor supporting former President Yoon Suk-yeol, are overlapping, reinforcing a so-called "pro-Chan-ta faction versus anti-Chan-ta faction" dynamic.
According to the political circle on the 22nd, the current candidates for the leadership of the People Power Party are Kim Moon-soo, Ahn Cheol-soo, Yang Hyang-ja, Jang Dong-hyuk, Jang Seong-min, Cho Kyung-tae, and Han Dong-hoon. Regarding the impeachment of former President Yoon, Ahn Cheol-soo, Yang Hyang-ja, Cho Kyung-tae, and Han Dong-hoon have expressed support, while Kim Moon-soo, Jang Dong-hyuk, and Jang Seong-min have opposed.
◇Leadership race begins amid 'far-right' contention
Candidates for the leadership position have clashed over 'personnel clearance' from the outset of their candidacy. Six-term lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae, who announced his candidacy the day before, stated, "If we do not carry out a stern revocation of the entrenched powers that are still clinging to their vested interests and putting the party and the conservative camp in crisis, there will be no future for our party or conservatism." He also emphasized during his visit to Daegu, "If you consider yourself subject to a special investigation, I respectfully request that you leave the party."
Lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo met with conservative commentator Jo Gap-je and noted, "If we fail in this reform, it could lead to a bleak future not only for conservatism but for our country as well, and without breaking away from extremism, there is no future for our country." On the same day, he also met with Innovation Committee Chair Yoon Hee-sook and stated, "We must show a willingness for a surprisingly remarkable change."
On the other hand, former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo and lawmaker Jang Dong-hyuk are rejecting personnel renewal. After announcing his candidacy on the 20th, former Minister Kim met with reporters and said, "If the party innovates in a way that splits or shrinks, it may be half an innovation but could also lead to significant self-inflicted harm." Lawmaker Jang remarked, "The party is entirely falling into a far-right frame due to constant internal attacks," and used somewhat harsh expressions.
Opinions are also divided regarding Jeon Han-gil's admission. Lawmakers Cho and Ahn stated, "Please prevent a pro-Han-gil candidate from becoming the party leader" and "If someone becomes the party leader, they will eliminate those who do not align with him." On the contrary, former Minister Kim mentioned a "higher level of unity" and referred to the so-called 'melting pot theory.' Lawmaker Jang also criticized the view against Jeon's admission as a 'far-right frame.'
Han Dong-hoon, a former leader of the People Power Party who is expected to decide on his candidacy on the 25th when candidate registration begins, also shows a willingness to prevent the 'far-rightization' of the People Power Party. Regarding Jeon's admission, he said, "Advocating illegal martial law and conspiracy theories about electoral fraud denies liberal democracy and the rule of law; it is not just a far-right frame but is indeed far-right."
◇Concerns of vote splitting among 'pro-Chan-ta' candidates… Focus on unification
There are concerns that the votes of pro-Chan-ta leadership candidates such as Ahn Cheol-soo, Yang Hyang-ja, Cho Kyung-tae, and Han Dong-hoon will be split during the national convention. The People Power Party plans to implement a voting method of '80% party member votes, 20% public opinion polls' for the party leader election. Lawmakers Cho Kyung-tae and Ahn Cheol-soo suggested changing it to '100% public opinion polls,' but even in this case, there is a great possibility of vote splitting. On the other hand, the anti-Chan-ta candidates are narrowed down to Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyuk, reducing the risk of split votes.
Pro-Chan-ta candidates are already somewhat aware of the risks of vote splitting. Lawmaker Cho stated during his candidacy press conference, addressing Ahn and former leader Han Dong-hoon, "Those who support and participate in innovation must unify their candidacies," and formally proposed, "Let's unify through 100% national primaries from this venue."
However, prospects for unification are not very bright. An analysis shows that each pro-Chan-ta candidate has strong individualities, and if a specific candidate takes the lead, the benefits for other candidates may not be significant. In fact, when asked about the possibility of unification, Ahn stated, "I am not thinking about unification at all at the moment. It is too hasty and premature to make such claims."
There are also predictions that if an anti-Chan-ta candidate is elected as the party leader, it may be difficult to win in next year's local elections. Lee Joon-han, a professor of political science and diplomacy at the University of Incheon, stated, "If someone close to former President Yoon takes full power again, reforms or innovations are likely to be tepid," adding that "there is a possibility of being compared to the Lee Jae-myung government, which has a honeymoon effect, and if that happens, there is no guarantee that things will improve after the local elections."