Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Conservatives in turmoil as blame game escalates after election defeat
Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, leaves the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, after a press conference, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
Rift widens within PPP between ex-president's allies, former party leader's camp
Following Lee Jae-myung’s presidential election win, conservatives are confronting a moment of reckoning, with the People Power Party (PPP) at a political crossroads. As the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) moves to consolidate power over both the presidency and the National Assembly, the PPP is left navigating internal divisions, a leadership vacuum and an uncertain future.
In the hours after the vote, PPP presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo conceded defeat, congratulated Lee, and pledged to respect the public’s verdict.
“I humbly accept the people’s decision and offer my sincere congratulations to President-elect Lee Jae-myung,” Kim said at a press conference at the party's headquarters on Wednesday.
Beneath the surface, however, the conservative camp remains fractured and uncertain about its future. Within the PPP, some have blamed Kim for failing to reach centrist voters, arguing that his campaign remained confined to the party’s traditional strongholds in the southeast. Others have pointed to Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok, suggesting the PPP might have had a real shot at victory if the two factions had united in the final days of the race.
Tensions are also mounting within the party, with factions openly trading blame in the wake of the election defeat. Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo criticized the party’s failure to reinvent itself following the 2017 impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, writing on social media: “A sick forest must be burned down and replanted with healthy trees.” His remarks reflect growing frustration over the PPP’s inability to modernize or expand its appeal beyond its traditional base.
Further complicating the party’s situation is a widening rift between supporters of Yoon Suk Yeol and those backing Han Dong-hoon. While the PPP held onto its traditional bases in the southeastern regions of Daegu, North Gyeongsang, Busan and South Gyeongsang, the overall defeat has strengthened calls from moderates who believe a more centrist candidate could have a better shot.
Lee Jun-seok, presidential candidate of the minor Reform Party, arrives at the party’s ballot counting situation room at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, after checking the exit poll results released by the three major broadcasters, Tuesday. Yonhap
Lee Jun-seok’s refusal to merge his candidacy with Kim has become a flashpoint in post-election blame. Critics argue the decision squandered a winnable race for conservatives. But Lee’s supporters contend the PPP had little chance of courting younger or swing voters while remaining aligned with the impeached president and far-right figures such as pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon.
“Kim failed to win over voters in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang area, as well as among women and centrists nationwide,” political commentator Park Sang-byeong noted. “To prepare for next year’s local elections, he should take a step back and seriously reflect on the outcome of this race,” he added.
The PPP leadership has acknowledged the need for reforms. In a statement issued shortly after the election, the party pledged sweeping changes to regain public trust.
“We will discard our privileges and complacency and begin a painful process of renewal,” it said.
Despite calls for renewal, many analysts remain skeptical that the PPP can truly reform. Critics inside and outside the party point to its repeated failure to distance itself from the impeached president and its continued inability to present a compelling alternative for younger and moderate voters.
Meanwhile, the DPK is moving quickly to take advantage of its dominant position. With 171 seats in the Assembly and control of the presidency, the ruling party is expected to pass key bills previously blocked by presidential vetoes —including legislation on special prosecutions and judicial reforms.
Amid this power shift, the PPP faces growing pressure to clarify its leadership structure. Internal jockeying has already begun ahead of a likely emergency party convention. Figures aligned with Han and Yoon are expected to vie for influence, raising concerns that prolonged infighting could further weaken the party’s standing.
To stay politically relevant, the PPP must overcome its internal rifts and offer a viable vision distinct from the ruling party’s agenda. But with no clear unifying figure and deepening ideological divides, the path forward looks increasingly uncertain.