Can centrist approach of ruling party innovation committee head succeed?

The ruling People Power Party's innovation committee chief Ihn Yo-han, right, kneels before a monument to commemorate the victims of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Monday. Yonhap

Ihn Yo-han, the head of the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) innovation committee, is taking a centrist approach to revive the ruling party's sluggish public support ahead of crucial general elections in April next year.

As part of his efforts to rejuvenate the conservative party, Ihn, a naturalized Korean citizen who is a physician, is asking party heavyweights to leave their constituencies and run in opposition-dominated areas in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province, saying this is a "bitter pill" the ailing party needs to take.

However, it remains to be seen if the lawmakers will swallow the bitter pill due to an internal backlash over the effectiveness of such campaigns.

Ihn paid a visit to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Monday, where the remains of residents who participated in a 1980 pro-democratic uprising against the Chun Doo-hwan government are buried. The cemetery is a symbolic site for the country's liberal politicians and their stronghold of Gwangju and surrounding Jeolla provinces in the southwest.

"The Gwangju Uprising was an accomplishment for the country's democracy, and still remains in our memory," Ihn told reporters. He served as an interpreter for the protestors during the uprising.

"We should teach the meaning of the Gwangju Uprising to our descendants to make a country where the families of the victims of the uprising can be embraced and be proud of their fathers and mothers," Ihn said.

Kim Kyung-jin, a member of the innovation committee, told The Korea Times that "the committee decided to pay a tribute to the national cemetery in order to achieve cohesion in the country and offer condolences to the victims of Korea's bitter modern history."

The move came a day after Ihn attended a ceremony at Seoul Plaza to commemorate the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush, in an apparent move to show sympathy for public sentiment accusing the government for its slow response to the disaster that took 159 lives last year.

Ihn's attendance contrasted with President Yoon Suk Yeol and other PPP leadership members, who viewed the event --hosted by opposition parties -- as being politically motivated. Yoon and PPP Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon attended a separate worship ceremony at a church in Seoul to remember the victims.

While Ihn attended the ceremony, some angry citizens lashed out at the innovation committee chairman. Some of them threw trash at Ihn.

"After a by-election defeat earlier this month, the party noticed that it is losing support among the general public," Kim at the innovation committee said. "To recover support, there are two keywords for the party. One is national cohesion and the second one is sacrifice."

Eom Gyeong-yeong, director of the private political think tank, Zeitgeist Institute, said, "Conservative parties have long been using the tactic of making low-key approaches to liberal strongholds in order to appeal swing voters in Seoul. And interestingly, this tactic has been working."

In August 2020, Kim Jong-in, the interim leader of the United Future Party, a predecessor of the PPP, visited the Gwangju cemetery and kneeled before the victims to apologize in an apparent appeal to the Jeolla region and centrist voters in Seoul.

People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon enters the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The concept of sacrifice is in line with Ihn's call for party heavyweights to leave their constituencies and run in opposition-dominated areas in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province.

In a number of interviews with domestic broadcasters during the past weekend, Ihn said he hopes "star lawmakers in Gyeongsang provinces, who are easily elected in the region, will run in tough constituencies in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province."

The Gyeongsang provinces in the southeast are the bastions of conservative supporters in Korea.

In an interview with Chosun Ilbo newspaper, Ihn mentioned the PPP chairman, a four-term lawmaker from Ulsan, and former PPP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young, a five-term lawmaker from Daegu, as examples.

Although the innovation committee said the matter will be up to the decision of the party's candidate recommendation committee, Ihn's comments triggered a strong backlash from lawmakers from those regions.

A party official said, "There are doubts over the effectiveness of this strategy, due to concerns of impacting lawmakers who have already gained the trust of voters in their constituencies."

Another PPP official said, "We have to look at the general election from a broad perspective" and contemplate "the purpose of this strategy if we end up losing seats."

The PPP chairman was also lukewarm about the proposal. When asked about his response, Monday, the chairman told reporters, "I may have a chance to speak about this issue when there is an official suggestion."

A former PPP lawmaker said, "Multiple-term lawmakers based in the Gyeongsang region have relatively easy election campaigns once they are recommended. When they run in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, it will be a chance for them to heed various opinions."

Eom said chances are high for the PPP to accept the innovation committee's proposal, given that the current Kim Gi-hyeon leadership is losing its grip over the party, following the by-election defeat.

"It appears that Ihn's committee is controlling the party, as a transition body between Kim's leadership and the upcoming election committee," Eom said. "And this tactic will be effective given it will introduce new faces in conservative strongholds, while implying that the PPP is now becoming a moderate conservative party."