After it was revealed that People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok visited former President Yoon Suk-yeol, the aftershocks continue. However, criticism within the party over Jang's visit appears to be subsiding quickly. Jang is expected to push through the controversy head-on and pivot to livelihood issues such as real estate to win over centrist voters.
According to the People Power Party on the 21st, Jang on this day took the helm as chairperson of the newly formed Special Committee for Normalizing Real Estate Policy. The party moved to respond, viewing that the Lee Jae-myung administration's Oct. 15 real estate package has deprived ordinary people of the chance to buy a home.
After meeting the administrative head at Bongeun Temple in Seoul on this day, Jang told reporters, "Real estate is an issue directly tied to the lives of all people and will likely grow into a major issue across the country, especially in the greater Seoul area," adding, "If things continue as they are, we will fail to rein in real estate prices and only amplify side effects, so we formed a special committee to craft real estate measures."
Jang's active focus on livelihood issues is seen as an attempt to break through the controversy over the visit to the former president. Inside the People Power Party, criticism emerged after news of Jang's visit to the former president became known. With the party's approval ratings on the rise recently, there are concerns the visit could once again alienate centrist public sentiment.
According to a Realmeter poll of 1,008 voters aged 18 or older nationwide conducted on the 16th to 17th, party approval stood at 46.5% for the Democratic Party of Korea and 36.7% for the People Power Party. The Democratic Party fell 0.7 percentage point from the previous survey, while the People Power Party rose 0.8 percentage point. The survey was conducted entirely by automated response (ARS). The response rate was 4.4%, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For details, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
However, the "visit incident," which could have led to internal divisions, seems to be calming. There is also a defense that Jang could lose the base that carried him to victory at the party convention if he focuses only on centrists. A People Power Party official said, "There were party convention pledges, and Jang was likely in a situation where he could neither do this nor that."
People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jae-seop, who voiced criticism in a Telegram chat of incumbent lawmakers, appeared on CBS Radio on this day and said, "Having the former president brought back into the fray again is not good for the opposition," but added, "I expect Jang to demonstrate good leadership in steering through the local elections or the National Assembly audit."
Park Jeong-hoon, a lawmaker aligned with the pro-Han Dong-hoon camp, also said, "I think the conduct (visiting the former president) was inappropriate, but these things must not become embers within the party that flare into infighting," while senior lawmaker Seong Il-jong said, "We must embrace both staunch conservatives and centrists. The party leader's role is not to represent one side, but to bring them together."
For the time being, Jang is expected to focus on the special committee for normalizing real estate and ramp up livelihood-focused activities. Choi Bo-yun, the People Power Party's chief spokesperson, told reporters at the National Assembly on this day, "The reason Jang took on the chairperson role himself is that the party intends to push real estate policy forcefully as a top-priority issue," adding, "We will hold on-site roundtables with the greater Seoul area as the top priority."