ED PPP must seek drastic change
Former President Park Geun-hye, fourth from left in front row, attends a People Power Party meeting in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Joint Press Corps
Former President Park hit for improper intervention in politics
Approval ratings for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) fell to the 30 percent range, a recent Gallup poll found, reflecting voter skepticism about how the party is handling issues related to livelihood and economic issues.
In these circumstances, an opposition party would normally be expected to enjoy a rebound in its own approval ratings, but the same poll, released Friday, showed that the approval rating for the People Power Party (PPP) stands even lower, at 25 percent.
Approval ratings in the 20-percent range is dismal news. The PPP’s own trajectory helps explain its meagre showing. Under leader Jang Dong-hyuk, who has repeatedly faced calls to resign, the party has been consumed by eyebrow-raising internal resistance, including Jang’s sudden hospitalizations and the use of the party ethics committee against members who have challenged his leadership. Jang has also remained an ambiguous figure as party leader, offering little in the way of a clear political platform or substantive policy agenda.
When pressed to renounce former President Yoon Suk Yeol for his Dec. 3 martial law declaration, Jang did so reluctantly, and only after delay. Rather than using the moment to reset the conservative party’s direction, the PPP has retreated toward its core voters — and, increasingly, toward the politics of its former leader.
Former President Park Geun-hye recently took part in a PPP retreat held to prepare for the upcoming National Assembly session. Public figures' legacies are rarely seen only through rose-colored glasses. As a member of the predecessor party to the PPP, Park is known for having resuscitated the former Grand National Party through powerful campaigning during the 2004 elections. Her legacy, however, is also defined as a former president impeached from office on charges on corruption and influence peddling. The PPP nonetheless views Park as a voice for "unity in the PPP as well as national integration."
To be fair, the former president could evoke a sense of nostalgia to a segment of the population as a private citizen. But for a former president with such a polarizing legacy to take center stage in an already embattled conservative party is questionable. Both Park and the PPP would have done well to consider the optics of such a spotlight and what it could mean for the party's popularity — or lack thereof. If the party was not aware of what her appearance could signal to the broader public, that that's a problem on an entirely different level.
Unity with the PPP matters — not just for the party's effectiveness, but also for the health of Korea's two-party system. A viable opposition is crucial to maintain checks and balance within the National Assembly. Yet rather than conveying a sense of renewal or unity, the PPP meeting evoked images of past efforts by conservative parties to draw on the influence of former leaders, regardless of their records in office. What voters have been looking for is a genuine reckoning and a comprehensive overhaul of the party, from the top down and the bottom up. So far, the PPP has yet to deliver.
The conservative party in Korea, known for its traditional positions in favor of free markets, strong national security, economic growth and the gradual implementation of reform, should at least focus on its own gradual internal reform. The ruling DPK, which holds the majority in the National Assembly, recently pushed through prosecutorial reform that gives investigative authority to the police, along with legislation that would allow indictments brought by special counsel to be rescinded during the upcoming regular session of the National Assembly.
The Lee Jae Myung administration has signaled rapid changes to housing policy and a super budget for next year. The PPP, in its current state, is unlikely to have much impact on the pace at which contentious reform bills are passed. Its role should be to challenge the ruling party and raise reasonable objections, helping to expose and address questionable elements in legislation and policy for the good of society. The PPP must rise to that challenge. And if Jang cannot live up to what the moment requires of him, he should have the courage to step aside and make way for another leader.