Will young politician become new opposition leader?
Lee Jun-seok, former member of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), visits Seomun Night Market in Daegu, Monday. Lee has placed his bid to be the PPP's next chairperson and he is enjoying high popularity in recent polls of the party's candidates for the position. Yonhap
By Jung Da-min
With the race for the leadership of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) heating up, a rookie politician is enjoying high popularity in recent polls about who will be the PPP's next chairperson. The PPP is set to hold a national convention on June 11 to elect new leaders, including the chairperson.
The PPP's selection of its next chairperson is drawing attention, as not only heavyweights, such as Na Kyung-won, former floor leader of the PPP's predecessor, the Liberty Party of Korea, and Rep. Joo Ho-young, former floor leader of the PPP, but also rookie politicians such as Rep. Kim Woong, a first-term lawmaker, and Lee Jun-seok, a former member of the PPP's Supreme Council, have placed their bids.
Lee is in particular receiving media attention, as he is leading some preference polls to be the next PPP chairperson, although he currently holds no official title in the party. Political watchers say it is an unusual situation in the country's conservative bloc such that a 36-year-old rookie politician could be receiving so much support as potentially to become the next leader. They also said it could be a reflection of the people's desire for change and innovation in the conservative bloc.
According to a poll on the candidates for the PPP race, conducted of 1,008 adults by local pollster People Networks Research, Saturday, 26.8 percent of the respondents that said they support Lee, followed by Na at 19.9 percent and Joo at 9.5 percent.
In another poll by local pollster Hangil Research, conducted by interviewing 1,000 adults on the same day, 30.1 percent of the respondents said they support Lee, followed by 17.4 percent and 9.3 percent, who are in favor of Na and Joo, respectively.
“It seems that the people are looking for an alternative when they feel disappointed with the current Moon Jae-in administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, but they also want the main opposition PPP to be changed at the same time,” said Shin Yul, a political science and diplomacy professor at Myongji University.
Shin said that there is a possibility that Lee could actually be elected as the next party chairperson, although some political watchers said it has yet to be seen if Lee's popularity will continue.
Some PPP members, including three-term lawmaker Rep. Ha Tae-keung and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, have publicly expressed their support for Lee.
“A fundamental change for our party to make a new start is becoming a reality through a generational shift of our leadership,” Ha said on Facebook, Sunday.
Oh also issued a Facebook message on the same day, saying that he hopes that a candidate who could win support from young people in their 20s and 30s will become the new party chairperson ― a message political watchers see as showing support for Lee. Lee shared Oh's Facebook post on his own page.
However, critics said that Lee's popularity could be temporary, as he lacks a political track record and the ability to mobilize party members, compared to more experienced candidates. They also pointed out that Lee's popularity would be a mere reflection of the media attention on recent controversies over gender issues, in which Lee issued strong messages supporting young men in their 20s and 30s.