PPP party leader faces attacks from inside

People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok speaks on the amnesty granted to former President Park Geun-hye during a press gaggle at the National Assembly, Friday. Joint Press Corps

Internal disputes chipping away at candidate's support rate

By Nam Hyun-woo

Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok is facing growing doubts over his presence in the party, as members of the conservative party increasingly blame their outspoken leader for the party's internal rifts and the declining support rate of their presidential candidate, Yoon Suk-yeol.

Lee quit all of his positions within the party's election camp last week, following a dispute with Rep. Cho Su-jin, the camp's communications chief. The two were not getting along, as Cho had disregarded Lee's orders and said that she would only listen to Yoon.

Though Cho also resigned from the campaign, Lee continued his criticisms of Yoon and Yoon's close aides, saying that he won't “flatter” Yoon and that his campaign “lacks strategies to win votes.”

As Lee continued criticizing, Yoon said on Monday, “In times of crisis, no one should be a third-party commentator.” Although he did not mention Lee directly, the remark was widely interpreted as reprimanding Lee's behaviors and remarks attacking the candidate of his own party.

Lee immediately countered with a Facebook post: “If the party chairman's advice for the party is downplayed as a comment, it can give the impression that the party's communication channels are dysfunctional.”

Amid the continuing conflict between Yoon and Lee, a growing number of party members seem to be siding with Yoon.

The PPP election campaign chief, Kim Chong-in, criticized Lee, calling him “impatient” and promising to “control various messages from the party” during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper on Tuesday.

Kim also ruled out Lee's suggestion of a major overhaul of Yoon's election committee to help the PPP win the election.

“This is not the time to talk about reshuffles in the election committee,” Kim said during a meeting with reporters, adding that the expectations for some of Yoon's top aides to be replaced are “nonsense.”

Kim's comment came hours after Lee's radio interview with broadcaster BBS, during which the young party leader called for an “overhaul” of the PPP's election committee in order to secure proper control for himself over Yoon's election campaign.

Rep. Chung Kyung-hee of the People Power Party (PPP), center, speaks to reporters after she and her fellow first-term PPP lawmakers had a meeting with PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. From left are Rep. Choi Seung-jae, Chung and Rep. Kim Seung-su. Yonhap

A number of first-term lawmakers of the PPP had a meeting with Lee, also on Tuesday, and asked the chairman to “be more prudent in his remarks for the sake of party unity.” Reportedly, some of the lawmakers gave their opinions that Lee should resign from the party chairmanship as well.

While Lee is under fire, some lawmakers in the PPP are voicing their support for him. Rep. Ha Tae-keung wrote on Facebook, Monday, that the party may lose support from young voters if it continues its criticism of Lee.

“There is an observation within the party that criticizing Lee will jack up candidate Yoon's support rate, but I have serious concerns over this view,” Ha wrote. “Yoon is shedding his support rate now mainly because of the election camp's wrongheaded position on youth issues.”

The PPP has enjoyed wide support from men in their 20s and 30s, and this situation is largely attributable to the chairman, who gained popularity by claiming that feminism-based policies discriminate against young men. However, Lee had disputes with Yoon over this stance, as the candidate recently appointed prominent feminists as aides, even though they were at odds with Lee.

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, who had a fierce rivalry with Yoon during the PPP primary, also wrote on Facebook that the PPP may lose the election if it continues to persecute Lee.

“A recent survey shows that public sentiment is now turning against the PPP,” Hong wrote. “Yoon should address the internal dispute himself. Even though he doesn't like Lee, Yoon should embrace him.”

According to a Realmeter poll, released on Tuesday, Yoon has secured a 40.1-percent support rate, allowing the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, to come from behind with 41.1 percent.

In a separate weekly poll released by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on Monday, Lee's support rate stood at 37.6 percent, outpacing Yoon's with 35.8 percent. In KSOI polls, Lee has been leading Yoon for two straight weeks.

The Realmeter poll was requested by the local newspaper, Energy Economy, surveying 1,000 adults from Dec. 25 to 26. The KSOI survey was requested by broadcaster TBS of 1,000 adults from Dec. 24 to 25. Further details are available at the websites of the survey agencies or of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.