17%: PPP approval rating plunges as internal rift over Yoon deepens

Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, meets with senior party lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

A new poll showing the People Power Party's (PPP) approval rating plunging to 17 percent has intensified concerns that leader Jang Dong-hyeok’s leadership is entering a critical phase ahead of the June 3 local elections.

The nationwide survey released Thursday marked the party’s lowest level since Jang took office and widened the gap with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to 28 percentage points.

In Seoul, the party recorded 19 percent support, followed by 16 percent in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, 15 percent in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong, and 12 percent in Gangwon and Jeju. Even in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, traditional conservative strongholds, it trailed the DPK by double digits.

The result that most alarmed party officials was Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, long considered the conservative base, where the two parties were tied at 28 percent. It marked the first time the PPP’s rating fell below 20 percent since August last year.

Party lawmakers and analysts attribute the slump to mounting internal divisions and controversy over Jang’s stance toward former President Yoon Suk Yeol. After a court sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for insurrection, Jang described the decision as regrettable while emphasizing the principle of the presumption of innocence, remarks that drew criticism from both inside and outside the party.

On Thursday, 17 senior lawmakers met Jang behind closed doors at the National Assembly and urged him to reconsider his position and chart a clearer course. Several participants, including lawmakers from the Seoul metropolitan area and the Busan-South Gyeongsang region, argued that a decisive break with Yoon was necessary to regain public trust and improve electoral prospects.

Rep. Lee Jong-bae told reporters after the meeting that Jang “shares our concerns about the difficulties in the upcoming local elections” and said the leader pledged to “deeply consider ways to find a breakthrough and gather diverse opinions.”

Lee added that senior lawmakers requested stronger election strategy coordination and the revival of a joint meeting of top leaders and senior lawmakers, and that Jang agreed.

Participants said Rep. Kwon Young-se opened the meeting by saying, “The party must acknowledge the public pain caused by martial law and break with the flawed past,” while lawmakers Cho Kyoung-tae and Kim Do-eup expressed similar views.

Pressure is also mounting from other party factions. A group of senior lawmakers held a separate gathering and proposed a full-scale general meeting of lawmakers to settle the party’s line through open debate. Some warned that without a clear strategy, the party could face defeat in the upcoming local elections.

Internal criticism has also surfaced publicly.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “Jang must decide whether his current course truly represents the party’s future and present a responsible answer without delay,” adding that the latest poll numbers serve as “a stark warning from voters.”

Signs of concern have emerged even within the leadership. One senior official said party leaders must be willing to hear blunt criticism, while another acknowledged that repeated missed opportunities to broaden support had produced what he described as a shocking outcome.

With approval ratings remaining in the 10 percent range, factional disputes unresolved and no clear repositioning announced, Jang’s leadership is increasingly viewed within the party as entering a decisive test ahead of the elections.