Main opposition party patches up internal rift

Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok, left, and the party's presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol hug each other following a meeting of PPP lawmakers at the National Assembly, Seoul, Thursday, ending a conflict between the two sides over election strategies and appointments of election camp personnel. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun

PPP lawmakers flip-flop on attempt to oust party leader

By Nam Hyun-woo

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) managed to patch up a month-long internal dispute that escalated mainly between its Chairman Lee Jun-seok and presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol over election strategies.

Lee, who locked horns with Yoon, was on the verge of losing his leadership post in the party when its lawmakers nearly agreed to adopt a resolution demanding the chairman's resignation. But he came to a reconciliation with Yoon and party members endorsed the truce to prevent the candidate from suffering a further decline in his support rate.

However, the chances of further conflict seem to remain, as a majority of the conservative party's members expressed hostile feelings toward Lee in their botched attempt to kick out the 36-year-old chairman and also voiced concerns that his presence is no longer a benefit for the party's election victory.

On late Thursday evening, Yoon made an unscheduled visit to a closed-door meeting of PPP lawmakers at the National Assembly where they were discussing the resolution calling for Lee's resignation. Lee was also at the meeting to defend himself.

“We have elected Lee as the party's chairman and it is time to join our hands,” Yoon said.

Lee replied, “The past two to three weeks have been a painful period for me as well,” and “I will not waste another second to help Yoon's election campaign.”

Lee added that they are now “one team,” with PPP lawmakers applauding their cordial remarks.

The reconciliation came as a surprise as Lee and Yoon's conflict was escalating. Until around 8 p.m., lawmakers attending the closed-door meeting were leaning toward adopting the resolution, and Lee stood up against their attempt, asking them if they have “alternative plans” to win the election.

The resolution was proposed by PPP vice floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho in the morning session of the meeting, and the lawmaker was quoted by other party members as saying, “We cannot take Lee's behavior anymore” and “It is time to make a decision on the resignation.”

It was also reported that some lawmakers referred to Lee using words like “psychopath” while blaming him for the party's month-long internal strife and their presidential candidate's faltering support rate.

Hours before the meeting, the party's leadership approved Yoon's nomination of Rep. Kwon Young-se as the party's secretary-general, despite Lee's opposition. Kwon was named as chief of Yoon's campaign team a day earlier, when the candidate dissolved his previous election committee and showed the committee's chief, Kim Chong-in, the door. It was Lee who had recommended Kim to be chief of the campaign committee.

However, Lee changed his mind and approved Kwon's appointment, as Yoon sought to railroad the selection in accordance with the party's rule which allows a presidential candidate to have authority over the party's chairman.

This was seen as a sign of Lee losing his grip on the party, because the secretary-general post is in charge of working-level matters on the party's nomination of candidates for by-elections in March and local elections in June.

Nominating candidates for elections is a right of the party chairman, but disagreement with the secretary-general may deal a blow to Lee's authority. As a result, Lee has been saying that he will exercise his right in the upcoming elections. However, Yoon's aides have been insisting that the party has to nominate candidates who can help his presidential election as a running mate for the by-elections.

People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, left, walks past party chairman Lee Jun-seok's office at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps

Yoon and Lee have locked horns over the candidate's election strategies, selection of campaign committee members and public messages. During this process, the two have said some harsh things to each other and the mainstream opinion in the party leaned toward Yoon after the disbandment of the election committee, blaming Lee as the cause of the conflict.

Rep. Chung Jin-suk, who is a National Assembly deputy speaker, said, “Lee's recent moves defy common sense.”

Also, doubts have been raised over the party chairman's influence among voters in their 20s and 30s. Lee was credited with attracting young male voters to support the conservative party, but recent surveys showed that Yoon was losing support from that group.

“The question is whether Lee properly represented the young people in their 20s and 30s,” former PPP Chairwoman Na Kyung-won said at a CBS radio program.

Former PPP lawmaker Jeon Yeo-ok slammed Lee on her blog posting. “Lee is nothing more than a crook who exploits the sentiment of people in their 20s-30s disguised in his 36-year-old mask,” she wrote.

“Unless he is insane, how can the PPP chairman criticize Yoon and help the rival candidate?” she added. “With his intention to become a young election czar, he followed the tail of grandpa Kim Chong-in.”