Ruling bloc strives to regroup after by-election loss
Ruling People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon listens to a speech during the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the presidential office are striving to regroup after their stunning loss in last week's by-election to choose a new mayor of Seoul's Gangseo District, which is being widely viewed as a prelude to next year’s general elections.
PPP Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon faced heavy criticism, Monday, from the party’s rank-and-file lawmakers for their apparent blind obedience to the presidential office. Kim said he will pursue “healthier relations between the party, the government and the presidential office,” while naming new faces to positions involving the party’s nominations of candidates.
“In terms of the relationship between the party, the government and the presidential office, we will enhance the party’s proactive role of delivering and reflecting the public's sentiment (to the government’s policies),” Kim said during a Supreme Council member meeting.
“We will coordinate with the government in advance to avoid any discord in current issues, but when there are matters that deviate from public sentiment, we will actively demand correction from the government and the presidential office.”
His remarks came five days after the party’s crushing defeat in the by-election to elect Seoul’s Gangseo District mayor, Wednesday. Although the district has long been a stronghold of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the margin of loss, standing at over 17 percentage points, shocked the ruling party.
The PPP selected former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo as its candidate. Kim was ousted from his post after being convicted of leaking official secrets during his tenure and the decision to choose him went against the party's own rule of not recommending anyone for a position if they have been previously convicted of a crime.
Since Kim was pardoned and reinstated by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim’s candidacy was widely interpreted as the party upholding the president’s decision.
Following the defeat, criticism grew from within the party. Rep. Suh Byung-soo, a five-term lawmaker, wrote on Facebook on Sunday that the party chairman is “waiting only for the presidential office’s instructions” and he should resign if he does not have “the courage to deliver the people’s voices to the presidential office.”
“The reason for the defeat is evident. During the election, the party's strategy of promoting 'the ruling party candidate with power' or 'a direct line to the president' became a target of ridicule,” Suh wrote.
This photograph shows, Monday, a Kakao Talk chat between People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Cho Su-jin who is holding the phone and the PPP's think tank Yeouido Institute's Vice President Kim Sung-ho. Kim said in the white chat bubble that the list of new PPP appointees mentioned in the yellow chat bubble are embarrassing and that the party's chairman Kim Gi-hyeon may lose his job. Yonhap
To address the internal doubts, Kim named a number of lawmakers ― who have kept a relatively low profile in supporting Yoon ― to the party’s secretary general, the policy committee chair and other positions involving candidate nominations, but this immediately caused concern.
In a Kakao Talk chat between PPP Supreme Council member Rep. Cho Su-jin and the PPP’s think tank the Yeouido Institute's Vice President, Kim Sung-ho ― photographed by reporters ― Kim said the list of new appointees was “embarrassing” and that the party's chairman may lose his job, adding that the party should delay their appointment because “it will be difficult to gain the people’s support.”
Lee Jun-seok, a former PPP chairman who has long been critical of Yoon, held an unscheduled press conference on the day and urged the president to “admit to the failures of the past 17 months of his presidency.”
“Why is the party (PPP) still afraid of saying that it is not a subsequent organization of the president and Yoon’s political philosophy should change, even after seeing the public’s rage?” Lee said. “After days of self-scrutiny regarding the election defeat, the party decided to strengthen its unity with the government. This is nothing more than a nonsense.”
Former People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok cries during a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Against this backdrop, Yoon saw his job approval rating dive.
According to a Realmeter poll, Yoon’s approval rating in an Oct. 10-13 survey stood at 34 percent, down 3.7 percentage points from a week earlier. This was the sharpest decrease in seven months and the first time for to the number to fall below the 35 percent mark in five months.
The PPP’s support rate also declined to 32 percent, down 4.3 percentage points during the same period. An official at the polling agency said the by-election result is attributable to the downfall of Yoon and the party, rather than the ongoing annual parliamentary audit.
The poll surveyed 2,004 adults at the request of the news outlet EKN, and further information is available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
Following the election defeat, Yoon told his aides on Oct. 13 that “we should seek lessons from the result and pursue changes wisely.”
Though Yoon’s office is refraining from making other comments on the aftermath of the defeat, rumors are growing that Yoon will reshuffle his office and the Cabinet after the parliamentary audit ends early next month.
Given a number of senior secretaries, including Kim Eun-hye (public relations), Lee Jin-bok (political affairs) and Kang Seung-kyu (civic and social agendas) are anticipated to leave the office to run in the general elections in April next year, multiple officials at Yoon’s office anticipate that this will likely trigger a sweeping reshuffle, though they added that the personnel matters are fully up to Yoon to decide.
Citing an unnamed government official, the Chosun Ilbo, a Korean daily newspaper reported that Yoon’s office is considering replacing two or three ministers next month and then replace even more in December among ministers who are double-hatted as lawmakers.