Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Hong rises, Yoon tumbles in main opposition party primary
People Power Party presidential contender Rep. Hong Joon-pyo speaks during a press conference at the party's chapter in Jeju, Monday. Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
Seasoned politicians regaining support
By Nam Hyun-woo
The race to clinch the presidential candidate position in the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) for next March's presidential election is taking on a sharp change, as veteran politicians are regaining support, while top contender Yoon Seok-youl's popularity is tumbling.
According to an Aug. 30-Sept. 1 joint poll of 1,012 adults by four survey organizations, Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the PPP secured a 10 percent support rate, up 3 percentage points from a week ago, among all the presidential hopefuls from both the ruling and opposition parties.
During the same period, the support rate of Yoon of the PPP declined 1 percentage point to 19 percent. Yoon, the former Prosecutor General for the Moon Jae-in administration, has been leading many polls since March, when he resigned after clashing with the President over investigating Moon's close aide. However, his support rate has been stagnant in recent weeks, due largely to a series of controversial remarks he has made.
People Power Party presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl speaks during an opening ceremony of a forum in Insa-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps
While Yoon has been suffering from a decline in support, Hong has been showing a sudden increase in his support rate. When asked who is the most suitable among conservative candidates, 22 percent of respondents picked Yoon, while 19 percent chose Hong, implying that Yoon and Hong are staging a neck-and-neck race in the PPP primary.
Hong, a five-term lawmaker, is a longtime politician. He served as the chairperson of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP), one of the PPP's predecessors, and the governor of South Gyeongsang Province. He ran for the previous presidential election in 2017 as an LKP candidate, but was defeated by Moon.
Hong led the LKP during the 2018 local elections, where his party suffered a crushing defeat. He left the conservative party in 2020 after failing to secure its candidacy for the general election, and was elected as an independent lawmaker.
He was considered highly unlikely to be a presidential contender at the time. But after rejoining the party in June this year, Hong's presence within the party has become more pronounced as Yoon has stumbled in the presidential race. Hong has criticized Yoon's background as a former prosecutor general for the current administration.
Hong's rise is largely interpreted as based on the support of men in their 20s. Hong currently has 15 percent of the support of those aged between 18 and 29, beating out other contenders, including Yoon, who has 8 percent.
Against this backdrop, Hong has been churning out a series of pledges that can appeal to the young generations, such as easing restrictions on cryptocurrency and resuming state-run exams for high-ranking public servants as well as bar exams.
People Power Party presidential contender Yoo Seong-min enters the Federation of Korean Trade Unions headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
Along with Hong, former four-term lawmaker Yoo Seong-min is also improving in his presidential campaign.
In an Aug. 21-22 poll by Wingkorea, 10.8 percent of 1,024 respondents said that Yoo is the most suitable conservative opposition candidate, up from 10.2 percent from two weeks earlier.
Yoo was the former chairperson of the Saenuri Party, which is now the PPP, but left it after locking horns with conservative former President Park Geun-hye. He ran for the previous presidential election in 2017 as a candidate from the moderate conservative Bareun Party, but finished fourth, following Moon, Hong and another moderate candidate, Ahn Cheol-soo.