The People Power Party is tightening its criticism of the government following the withdrawal of Kim Seung-won as a candidate for Minister of Justice. The party plans to highlight the government's failures in personnel verification, especially after the recent resignations of Kim and former Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Yong Hye-in, while expanding its focus to broader government policies. However, the party is grappling with the complexities of initiating external protests that were initially considered contingent on Kim's appointment.
According to political sources on the 20th, the People Power Party will hold a 'Public Report Meeting on the Failures of the Lee Jae-myung Administration' on the steps of the National Assembly on the 22nd. The party aims to raise issues regarding the personnel verification system and call for the withdrawal of the nomination of Kang Shin-cheol as Minister of National Defense, following the recent resignations.
In addition, the party plans to escalate its criticism of the government and ruling party on various issues, including real estate problems in the metropolitan area, the introduction of single-item leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the abolition of supplementary investigative powers for prosecutors, and a comprehensive survey of farmland.
However, there are deep concerns within the party regarding whether to proceed with external protests. Initially, the party intended to use Kim's forced resignation as a key motivator for protests, but with his voluntary withdrawal, the justification for taking to the streets has weakened. Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon stated after a press conference, "We have prepared for external protests and are ready to go at any time, but nothing has been confirmed yet."
With the National Assembly audit scheduled immediately after the Chuseok holiday, there are worries that engaging in external protests could dilute their effectiveness. On the 18th, Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik expressed concerns about the feasibility of combining external protests with the audit, stating, "There are many aspects we need to examine for future response funds and people's livelihoods during the audit," emphasizing the importance of focusing on internal criticism of the government ahead of the audit.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has also been vocal about the need for external protests since the early days of the controversy surrounding Kim. He argued that if Kim's appointment were to be pushed through, "we must take to the streets," positioning himself at the forefront of the criticism.
Han held a back briefing at the National Assembly and stated, "The accountability and truth-seeking regarding the 'Kim Seung-won incident' starts now," continuing to escalate the criticism even after Kim's resignation.
Ultimately, securing new momentum for criticism of the government following Kim's withdrawal is seen as a key task for the People Power Party. There remain issues to address, such as the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, the agency's launch, the issue of supplementary investigative powers, the comprehensive survey of farmland, and the controversy over the failure of the online application system. However, some voices in the political arena suggest that these issues may not provide sufficient impetus for external protests.
The fact that the government's setbacks have not translated into increased support for the People Power Party is also a concern. According to a recent Gallup Korea poll conducted from the 15th to the 17th, President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating hit a record low of 37%, while disapproval reached a high of 56%. The People Power Party's support dropped by 2 percentage points to 27%, while the Democratic Party rose by 2 percentage points to 40%. This survey was conducted with 1,002 randomly selected voters aged 18 and older, using a telephone interview method. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a contact rate of 45.4% and a response rate of 9.9%. (For more details, refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.)
For the People Power Party, the challenge is to expand the momentum gained from Kim's withdrawal beyond personnel issues to encompass livelihood and policy matters, ultimately linking this to a recovery in support. While there are numerous issues to pursue, the lack of a clear single issue to drive external protests means that the focus on internal criticism during the National Assembly audit and the public sentiment following Chuseok will likely determine the future of external protests and their intensity.
Jo Won-bin, a scholar at the Korean Political Science Association, commented, "It is uncertain how much support the public or opposition party supporters would provide if we take to the streets following Kim's resignation. The internal conflicts within the ruling party are becoming more prominent than strong criticisms from the opposition regarding the candidate for the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency."
According to political sources on the 20th, the People Power Party will hold a 'Public Report Meeting on the Failures of the Lee Jae-myung Administration' on the steps of the National Assembly on the 22nd. The party aims to raise issues regarding the personnel verification system and call for the withdrawal of the nomination of Kang Shin-cheol as Minister of National Defense, following the recent resignations.
In addition, the party plans to escalate its criticism of the government and ruling party on various issues, including real estate problems in the metropolitan area, the introduction of single-item leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the abolition of supplementary investigative powers for prosecutors, and a comprehensive survey of farmland.
However, there are deep concerns within the party regarding whether to proceed with external protests. Initially, the party intended to use Kim's forced resignation as a key motivator for protests, but with his voluntary withdrawal, the justification for taking to the streets has weakened. Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon stated after a press conference, "We have prepared for external protests and are ready to go at any time, but nothing has been confirmed yet."
With the National Assembly audit scheduled immediately after the Chuseok holiday, there are worries that engaging in external protests could dilute their effectiveness. On the 18th, Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik expressed concerns about the feasibility of combining external protests with the audit, stating, "There are many aspects we need to examine for future response funds and people's livelihoods during the audit," emphasizing the importance of focusing on internal criticism of the government ahead of the audit.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has also been vocal about the need for external protests since the early days of the controversy surrounding Kim. He argued that if Kim's appointment were to be pushed through, "we must take to the streets," positioning himself at the forefront of the criticism.
Han held a back briefing at the National Assembly and stated, "The accountability and truth-seeking regarding the 'Kim Seung-won incident' starts now," continuing to escalate the criticism even after Kim's resignation.
Ultimately, securing new momentum for criticism of the government following Kim's withdrawal is seen as a key task for the People Power Party. There remain issues to address, such as the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, the agency's launch, the issue of supplementary investigative powers, the comprehensive survey of farmland, and the controversy over the failure of the online application system. However, some voices in the political arena suggest that these issues may not provide sufficient impetus for external protests.
The fact that the government's setbacks have not translated into increased support for the People Power Party is also a concern. According to a recent Gallup Korea poll conducted from the 15th to the 17th, President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating hit a record low of 37%, while disapproval reached a high of 56%. The People Power Party's support dropped by 2 percentage points to 27%, while the Democratic Party rose by 2 percentage points to 40%. This survey was conducted with 1,002 randomly selected voters aged 18 and older, using a telephone interview method. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a contact rate of 45.4% and a response rate of 9.9%. (For more details, refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.)
For the People Power Party, the challenge is to expand the momentum gained from Kim's withdrawal beyond personnel issues to encompass livelihood and policy matters, ultimately linking this to a recovery in support. While there are numerous issues to pursue, the lack of a clear single issue to drive external protests means that the focus on internal criticism during the National Assembly audit and the public sentiment following Chuseok will likely determine the future of external protests and their intensity.
Jo Won-bin, a scholar at the Korean Political Science Association, commented, "It is uncertain how much support the public or opposition party supporters would provide if we take to the streets following Kim's resignation. The internal conflicts within the ruling party are becoming more prominent than strong criticisms from the opposition regarding the candidate for the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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