Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Momentum grows for anti-Lee Jae-myung alliance
Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Tuesday, to attend the first trial hearing on his bribery case. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
Discussions of potential big tent coalition among rival parties intensify
While former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung remains the frontrunner in recent public opinion polls for the upcoming presidential election, the idea of forming a big tent anti-Lee alliance is quickly gaining momentum.
This shared goal of opposing Lee in the June 3 election has not only united conservative and centrist candidates, but is also fueling discussions of a potential coalition among rival parties, including factions within the People Power Party (PPP) and the broader progressive bloc. This comes amid a growing belief that cross-party and cross-ideological unity is crucial to preventing Lee from winning.
The leadership of the conservative PPP has consistently emphasized efforts to oppose Lee, stating that to win the upcoming presidential election, the party must develop an electoral strategy that unites all those opposed to his candidacy.
"We must overcome the Lee Jae-myung faction, who will drive Korea into endless political strife and division," PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong said Tuesday. "Despite all our differences, uniting and jointly confronting Lee is a common mission for all of us."
Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo gives speaks about his vision and election pledges at his campaign office in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
The push for an anti-Lee coalition gained significant momentum over the weekend, as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and former PPP lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, who had been courting centrist voters, dropped out of the primary race. With their withdrawals, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo underscored the need for conservative cooperation.
While most major presidential candidates support the strategy, they continue to position themselves as the top contender to challenge Lee, resulting in power struggles over the specifics of a big tent conservative coalition. Still, the majority of candidates recognize and underscore the importance of a fully inclusive anti-Lee strategy.
Hong, who declared his candidacy for the presidential election as a PPP candidate, underscored the urgency of anti-Lee cooperation, calling it "a crucial necessity."
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, he even suggested the possibility of a coalition among rival parties to block Lee’s candidacy.
"If necessary, we can form a coalition government and pursue a new policy of inclusiveness," the former Daegu mayor said.
Kim Moon-soo, left, former labor minister, shakes hands with North Gyeongsang Province Gov. Lee Cheol-woo during their meeting in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Kim Moon-soo, former employment and labor minister, reiterated on Tuesday the importance of uniting to defeat Lee.
As a leading figure in the anti-impeachment camp following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal from office, Kim emphasized the need to include potential presidential candidates from the pro-impeachment camp to bolster the anti-Lee movement.
Highlighting his commitment to the anti-Lee movement, Kim suggested the possibility of forming alliances with figures such as Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party’s presidential candidate, and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon from the Moon Jae-in administration.
Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon also expressed support for the strategy.
"In principle, we should unite with many from the conservative camp," Han said in a radio interview Tuesday. Yet he took a more cautious approach when it came to the issue of fielding a unified candidate.
Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, announces his policy vision at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
However, not all members of the conservative bloc view the strategy favorably.
With just 49 days remaining until the presidential election, some believe it will be difficult, if not unrealistic, to form an anti-Lee contingent.
Reform Party presidential candidate Lee Jun-seok, frequently mentioned during discussions of the broad conservative alliance, made clear in a phone interview with a local media outlet earlier in the day that he has no interest in talks about such a coalition, reaffirming his intention to run in the presidential race.
Lee Jun-seok, Reform Party preliminary candidate for the presidential election, greets citizens on the streets in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Yonhap
That is due to the challenges in reconciling differences within the conservative camp, not only over the impeachment of Yoon, but also on various national policy issues.
Some argue that bringing up third-party figures at this stage, even before the PPP's primary, only strengthens the narrative that the conservative party lacks viable candidates, potentially weakening its influence in the election. In other words, there are concerns that focusing on the big tent alliance could overshadow the party's nominee, with external figures taking the lead.
However, the possibility of a loose alliance with anti-Lee figures from the liberal or progressive bloc continues to surface.
The New Future Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon from the Moon administration, along with the party’s leader Jun Byung-hun, a former three-term DPK lawmaker, is also keeping the door open for a potential alliance with the PPP for the purposes of opposing Lee Jae-myung.
Kim Du-kwan, former lawmaker with the Democratic Party of Korea, holds a press conference announcing his presidential bid in Gwangju, April 8. Yonhap
Jun criticized the DPK's newly revised primary rules, arguing that they increase Lee's chances of winning. He condemned the party's decision to abolish the national primary system after 23 years, calling it "the creation of a 100 percent fake DPK" and likening it to totalitarian regimes like those led by Stalin and Hitler.
Former DPK lawmaker Kim Du-kwan, who chose not to run in the party's primary due to the rule changes, is also contemplating options for his future, which reportedly include the possibility of running as an independent or rallying third-party forces, rather than aligning with either of the two major parties.