Young politician's rise in conservative main opposition party shakes political landscape

Lee Jun-seok, a former member of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP)'s Supreme Council, speaks during a press conference at the party's regional branch in Daegu, Friday. Lee, who is running for the race to become the party's next leader, garnered the highest support in the party's primary. Yonhap

Older conservatives fear generational shift

By Jung Da-min

A young politician's rise in the conservative main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) leadership race is shaking the political landscape ― not only for the opposition bloc, but also across the political arena ― as it is signaling a generational shift in politics.

Lee Jun-seok, a 36-year-old politician and former member of the PPP's Supreme Council, has risen as the leading prospective candidate to be the main opposition party's next chairperson.

The PPP selected five out of eight hopefuls for the party's chairpersonship through a primary, Friday, two weeks ahead of the party convention. In the primary, based on two opinion polls of the general public and party members, Lee reportedly garnered the highest support: 41 percent.

He was followed by Na Kyung-won, former floor leader of the PPP's predecessor, the Liberty Party of Korea, at 29 percent; Rep. Joo Ho-young, former floor leader of the PPP, at 15 percent; four-term lawmaker Rep. Hong Moon-pyo at 5 percent; and five-term lawmaker Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae at 4 percent.

Political watchers said they see a high possibility of Lee actually becoming the new chairperson of the party, as calls for new and innovative leadership have grown to a point in which a fresh figure could take over the party leadership.

Lee, a Harvard graduate who majored in computer science, was a young entrepreneur before entering politics in 2011 at the suggestion of Park Geun-hye, then-leader of the Grand National Party, a PPP predecessor, as the youngest Supreme Council member in the party's history.

He has been active in commenting on political issues and called for reform of the conservative bloc. He has gained media attention recently following his outspoken comments on controversies over gender issues.

Political commentator Choi Young-il said Lee's popularity is a reflection of the people's disappointment with the party's previous leadership, as heavyweights of the party did not meet the people's expectations for the conservative main opposition party as an alternative to the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which has been losing public support due to policy failures.

"A recent internal report of the DPK, based on an opinion poll and focus group interviews, showed that people have negative impressions not only of the DPK but also of the PPP. The respondents said the PPP's image is associated with a person in his late 50s to 70s who values money and power and pursues elitism," Choi said. "People are feeling tired that the conservative party has been making no changes, and now they are seeing a rising power, represented by Lee."

Choi said that people support Lee not because they believe he is a great politician, but because they want to see a change in the conservative main opposition party, although this change could be rather experimental, as Lee has never won in a general election or a by-election to become a lawmaker during his decade in politics.

The conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) held a primary, selecting five candidates out of eight to run in the race for its next chairperson position, Friday. They are, from left, Lee Jun-seok, a former member of the PPP's Supreme Council; Na Kyung-won, former floor leader of one of the PPP's predecessors, the Liberty Party of Korea; Rep. Joo Ho-young, former floor leader of the PPP; four-term lawmaker Hong Moon-pyo; and five-term lawmaker Cho Kyoung-tae. Yonhap

As Lee is enjoying high popularity, the PPP's more experienced chairperson candidates have been launching verbal attacks toward him in an apparent effort to check his rise and play down his career. They say Lee is too inexperienced to become the leader when the party needs a figure who can lead it to win the next presidential election, slated for next March.

Appearing on a radio show of the local broadcaster, CBS, May 24, Na said, "The party's next chairperson should be a figure who drives not a fancy sports car but a loaded truck, able to navigate through narrow alleys," implying that she could be like the truck driver who can handle difficult situations, while Lee is like a sports car driver with a sleek image, but lacking in capability.

Joo has been attacking Lee by calling him a follower of Yoo Seong-min, a former four-term lawmaker who ran for the 2017 presidential election under the ticket of the Bareun Party, a spinoff of the Saenuri Party, a predecessor of the PPP. Yoo is now with the PPP.

Based on Lee's close ties with Yoo, Joo claims Lee would bring about a division among party members by encouraging factional conflicts. Lee could side with Yoo when the party selects its presidential candidate later this year.

"At this time when the party is facing the task of regime change, the Yoo Seong-min faction, which used to be a victim of factional conflicts, is now causing them," Joo wrote on Facebook, Thursday.

Cha Jae-won, a professor of special affairs at the Catholic University of Pusan, said from the perspective of the PPP's senior heavyweights, Lee's possible victory in the chairpersonship race could threaten their political position, as an overall generational shift is likely to follow.

"If a generational shift takes place in the PPP, it will become hard for senior politicians to win nominations for the next general election," Cha said.

Cha also said that Lee's possible election could threaten the DPK, as it is likely that the PPP will receive more public attention with a generational shift, while the DPK has already been losing public support with its policy failures. Dozens of ruling bloc figures have been mired in corruption scandals and sexual harassment allegations as well.