In the June 3 local elections and by-elections, Oh Se-hoon and Han Dong-hoon survived on their own. With People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok suffering a fatal blow to his leadership from the crushing defeat, a realignment of the conservative political camp centered on Oh and Han has become inevitable.
Oh Se-hoon won the Seoul mayoral race after a neck-and-neck contest with Democratic Party of Korea candidate Chong Won-o. He became the first five-term Seoul mayor in history. The race began with Oh at a disadvantage amid President Lee Jae-myung's high approval ratings. Early in the campaign, the gap in support between Oh and Chong widened to double digits.
From the start to the end of the race, Oh kept his distance from Jang Dong-hyeok's leadership and fought the campaign purely on his own "individual skill." A member of Oh's campaign said, "A key strategy was to avoid being tied, even a little, to former President Yoon Suk-yeol or leader Jang Dong-hyeok."
While keeping his distance from Jang Dong-hyeok's leadership, Oh focused his criticism on the Lee Jae-myung administration's real estate policies. In the actual vote, Oh's victory in the real estate-sensitive Han River belt showed the strategy paid off.
By becoming an unprecedented "five-term" Seoul mayor, Oh instantly emerged as a conservative presidential contender. Because the next presidential election will be held as his four-year term ends, he is expected to naturally establish himself as an out-of-parliament candidate. During this election, he also served as a rallying point for People Power Party candidates not only in Seoul but across the greater capital area, a significant political asset.
Han Dong-hoon likewise secured a solo victory in the Busan Buk-gap by-election. He survived a three-way race against Ha Jung-woo of the Democratic Party, a close aide to President Lee Jae-myung, and Park Min-sik, who was backed by the People Power Party's pro-leadership faction. In an unfavorable setup of two conservatives versus one progressive, it was a win earned purely on individual skill without organized support from the party.
During the campaign, Han called for both checking the Lee Jae-myung administration and rebuilding the conservative camp. In particular, by showing an approachable side to citizens across Busan Buk-gap, including at Gupo Market, he was seen as successfully shedding his "elite prosecutor" image. With the pro-Han (pro–Han Dong-hoon) faction still alive within the People Power Party, Han's entry into the National Assembly immediately catapulted him into a leading contender for the party's next leadership.
A first-term People Power Party lawmaker said, "Leader Jang Dong-hyeok looked even less influential than former Minister Kim Moon-soo during the campaign," adding, "Given how the pro-leadership faction exhausted its political capital during the race, it will not be easy to block Han Dong-hoon's return to the party."
While Oh Se-hoon and Han Dong-hoon surged, leader Jang Dong-hyeok's position in the party shrank. Conservative commentator Cho Gab-je wrote on Facebook that day, "Since the Han Dong-hoon they tried so hard to kill has come back alive, isn't it time for Jang Dong-hyeok to die politically?" he sneered.
People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yong-tae also wrote on Facebook, "I hope the ballot shortage fiasco does not become a rotten rope for the party leadership to evade responsibility for the election defeat," adding, "The greater the Lee Jae-myung administration's arrogance and misrule, the more clearly the results of these local elections show the limits of the party leadership's authority."
Leader Jang Dong-hyeok dismissed calls for his resignation. He said that day, "I will not turn away from the heavy responsibility given to me and will seek a new path forward together with party members."