Ruling Party Urges Ouster of "Incompetent Yoon Kids" as People Power Party Uses New Faces to Purge Reformists

As of the 23rd, there are 100 days left until the June local elections. The Democratic Party of Korea plans to fight the race under the same banner it used in the last presidential election, calling for an end to the "insurrection," while the People Power Party intends to front political newcomers as its main strategy.
■ Democratic Party: "Only by judging the People Power Party can we end the insurrection"
According to political sources on the 22nd, the Democratic Party is stressing that holding the People Power Party to account is the way to bring a definitive end to former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law case.
Cho Seung-rae, secretary-general of the Democratic Party, held a press briefing at the National Assembly the same day. Referring to the fact that after Yoon received a life sentence in the first trial on insurrection charges, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk highlighted the "presumption of innocence," Cho said, "Even though the insurrection has been clearly established, the People Power Party and leader Jang Dong-hyuk continue to deny it. In that sense, bringing the insurrection to an end and ensuring thorough punishment remain unfinished tasks, and the local elections carry the political meaning of completing that process."
Cho went on to remind reporters that the current heads of metropolitan and provincial governments from the People Power Party were elected in local elections held right after Yoon took office. "These utterly incompetent figures are the so-called 'Yoon kids' who emerged together with Yoon Suk Yeol," he argued, adding, "They are people who should be removed from office along with Yoon’s exit." The regions currently governed by People Power Party-affiliated leaders include Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province, North Chungcheong Province, Sejong, Gangwon Province, Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.
The Democratic Party will effectively kick off its nomination process by interviewing candidates for metropolitan and provincial governor posts on the 23rd and 24th. The party plans to move quickly through primary procedures to secure more campaign time in regions where its support is relatively weak, such as Yeongnam and Gangwon Province. In particular, it intends to devote special attention to the first elections for Administrative Integration Special Mayors in newly integrated areas such as Gwangju, Daejeon and Daegu, managing the nomination schedule for those races separately.
An electoral alliance with the broader pro-government Cho Kuk Innovation Party has reportedly not yet entered into concrete discussions. The key variable is where Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, and other party figures will choose to run. Internal friction could arise within the Democratic Party over whether to refrain from fielding candidates in certain constituencies out of consideration for the Cho Kuk Innovation Party.
■ People Power Party: Using generational change as a pretext to purge reformists
Within the People Power Party, the faction aligned with leader Jang and the party establishment is still clashing with reformists who insist the party must sever ties with former president Yoon. However, since Jang has defended Yoon even after the life sentence, the party is expected to fight the election by focusing on consolidating its hardline support base. To that end, the establishment camp is expected to move to "purge" figures who backed the reformist camp, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, following the expulsion of former party leader Han Dong-hoon. The goal is to forge a single, unified line within the party.
The stated justification for this purge is generational change. There is speculation that the party will attempt a sweeping replacement of incumbents, viewing the fact that current metropolitan and provincial leaders are trailing pro-government challengers as a problem of individual competence. Jang has set "new faces, new start" as the slogan for the local elections, signaling a plan to put newcomers front and center. Nomination Committee Chair Lee Jung-hyun also said, "This round of nominations must serve as a complete reshuffle to make a fresh start," and party insiders say incumbent leaders are likely to face contests against a new generation of candidates. If a large number of political newcomers are nominated, party strategists calculate that they may be able to improve their weak appeal to moderates, which has been hampered by their defense of Yoon and the purge of reformists.
A key variable is how the reformist camp will respond. Since Jang’s leadership team currently enjoys overwhelming support from party members, critics inside the People Power Party say reformists have few tools to resist and may instead join forces with the Reform Party or strike out on their own. Former leader Han and Seoul Mayor Oh have already hinted at plans to rally what they call a rational conservative bloc, while Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, has announced he will contest the elections independently of the People Power Party. If they all run separately without forming an alliance, the conservative vote could split, creating a serious headwind for the ruling bloc.
Meanwhile, the People Power Party had initially planned to fight the local elections under a new party name. However, at a closed-door meeting on the 22nd, the party’s supreme council decided to postpone the name change until after the elections. The decision was reportedly based on practical concerns that there is not enough time to familiarize voters with a new name before election day. The Brand Strategy Task Force (TF) had narrowed the options down to two candidates—"Future Alliance" and "Republic Opening the Future"—and planned to unveil the new name on March 1. For now, however, the party will contest the elections under its existing name, People Power Party.
uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho, Lee Haeram Reporter