Candidates vying for the People Power Party's presidential nomination voiced concerns over former President Yoon Suk Yeol's continued activities despite his removal from office, with some in the conservative bloc saying that his continued visibility -- and his avid supporters -- could sabotage the party ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
Such concerns were raised after Yoon was spotted meeting with lawyers who defended him at the Constitutional Court in his impeachment trial. On April 4, in a unanimous ruling, the court permanently removed Yoon from office.
Kim Gye-ri, one of his lawyers, uploaded a photo of herself, Yoon and fellow attorney Bae Ui-cheol to Facebook on Saturday. The three are seen smiling at the camera in a restaurant, and the caption reads: "The first president I voted for with my own hands -- Yoon-beoji ("Yoon-dad" in Korean). Be calm and strong.”
Two contenders for the People Power Party's presidential nomination -- Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo -- both called on the party to completely cut ties with Yoon in order to win the upcoming election.
Yoo said on a radio show on local Buddhist broadcaster BBS Monday that it is “wrong” for the People Power Party to “continue to hold onto Yoon” when its focus should be “preventing the worst political situation ahead of us.”
In a press conference held Sunday, Ahn said, "It is a betrayal of our democracy's Constitution and of the rule of law to side with the former president without any reflection or regret, even after (Yoon) was impeached for violating both the Constitution and law."
Though Ahn had dropped out of the last presidential race in 2022 to unite his People's Party with Yoon's People Power Party, Ahn later became one of the few ruling party lawmakers who voted for Yoon’s impeachment at the National Assembly in December following the latter's short-lived martial law declaration.
“Rep. Na Kyung-won, Kim Moon-soo and Hong Joon-pyo, who marched alongside Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon (in far-right rallies) must now clearly state their positions. If they plan to continue to follow Jeon’s beliefs and cannot cut ties with him, then they must join his party for the election,” he added, referring to how those three contenders were seen communicating with Rev. Jeon, a far-right activist and avid Yoon supporter, in previous political rallies.
Concerns have intensified over whether Yoon will continue working to build clout with his supporters, even though he has been permanently removed from power.
On Friday, Yoon's attorneys decided to postpone the launch of a new political party aimed at supporting the former president, and they canceled a scheduled press conference. They cited newfound concerns that a "Yoon Again" party could lead to misunderstandings about Yoon’s intentions and that the ousted president convinced them not to follow through with the launch.
On the same day that Kim Gye-ri posted the photo on Facebook, far-right pastor Jeon declared his own bid for the presidency.
Jeon, who led key pro-Yoon and anti-impeachment rallies ahead of the Constitutional Court ruling earlier this month, said his goal is to prevent any of the current eight contenders vying for the conservative party’s nomination from being elected president.
“I will never allow the eight (candidates) from the People Power Party to get elected, even if it means former Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung gets elected. I plan to show them what we can do,” Jeon said as he announced his candidacy at a rally organized by the minor far-right Liberty Unification Party.
The pastor's other pledges announced Saturday include disbanding the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the National Election Commission; "purging" the Constitutional Court justices who unanimously voted to oust Yoon; and bringing about the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Jeon is expected to enter the race as a candidate for the Liberty Unification Party, the successor to the far-right Christian Liberal Party launched by the pastor in 2016. Jeon was also briefly the leader of the LUP in 2022.
Former main opposition Democratic Party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung is leading the race, with a wide gap between him and the conservative presidential contenders.
According to the survey conducted by Realmeter released Monday, Lee came in at No. 1 with 50.2 percent, surpassing the 50 percent mark for the first time. The survey was of 1,504 adults aged over 18, conducted from Wednesday to Friday.
Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, a conservative contender, came in at No. 2 with 12.2 percent, up 1.3 percentage points on the week. Former People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon followed at 8.5 percent, while ex-Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo came in at 7.5 percent.
South Korea will hold an early presidential election in 42 days, on June 3, following the Constitutional Court's decision to remove Yoon from the presidency for violating the law and democratic principles with his martial declaration on Dec. 3.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
