Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
People Power Party approval ratings plummet to record low
Hwang Woo-yeo, center, head of the People Power Party’s election committee, announces the finalists for the party’s leadership race at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Kim Hyun-bin
Support for Korea’s main conservative party has plummeted to its lowest levels in years, remaining stuck in the teens for a fifth consecutive week, according to a new poll released Friday.
The People Power Party (PPP) garnered just 16 percent in the latest National Barometer Survey, conducted Aug. 4 to 6 by K-Stat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research. In contrast, the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) held steady at 44 percent, nearly tripling the flagging PPP.
Once polling at 31 percent in late May, the PPP’s support has steadily declined since the election — falling to 23 percent in mid-June, 20 percent in late June, 19 percent in mid-July and 17 percent in late July. It has now lingered in the teens for five consecutive weeks.
Support has fallen across nearly all regions and age groups — including traditional party strongholds like Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, as well as among voters aged 70 and older. Among centrists, backing stands at 11 percent, while those in their 20s and 30s each support the PPP at 12 percent. In Seoul, the PPP trails with 23 percent support compared to 40 percent for the DPK.
Analysts say the PPP needs a vigorous infusion of new, younger leadership and a sharper appeal to moderates and young voters. But the party’s leadership race has devolved into a bitter clash reminiscent of last year’s presidential campaign, dividing factions loyal to the recently impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol from his rivals' supporters.
The party announced the results of this week’s primary, naming four finalists for its national convention on Aug. 22, where a new leader will be chosen. The candidates include former presidential contender Rep. Kim Moon-soo and three National Assembly members: Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo.
The two leading "pro-Yoon" candidates, Kim and Jang, have made their support for the former president a central theme of their campaigns. Kim vowed to welcome Yoon back into the party if he returns, while Jang said he would visit him in prison if elected party leader. Kim has also raised allegations of election fraud, and Jang has expressed willingness to cooperate with the "Yoon Again" faction.
Meanwhile, anti-Yoon candidates — including Ahn and Cho — have concentrated more on internal party battles than on presenting a clear reform agenda.
Under party rules that assign 80 percent of the vote weight to dues-paying members and just 20 percent to national polls, reformist candidates face an uphill climb amid widespread public focus on the new government and a fragmented opposition.
Some promises floated across both camps — including abolishing early voting and relocating government offices outside the capital region to promote balanced regional development — have been dismissed by party insiders as empty gestures, with critics warning that the leadership race risks repeating the polarization and infighting that defined the presidential election.