{"id":2199991,"date":"2023-02-02T10:25:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T10:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199991"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:09:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:09:50","slug":"an-outsider-candidate-could-soon-lead-south-koreas-conservative-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/02\/an-outsider-candidate-could-soon-lead-south-koreas-conservative-party\/","title":{"rendered":"An outsider candidate could soon lead South Korea\u2019s conservative party"},"content":{"rendered":"
When President Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span>fired<\/span><\/a> legislator Na Kyung-won from key positions last month, he sent a clear message that Na did not have his blessing to be the next leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP).<\/span><\/p>\n Na\u2019s poll numbers subsequently <\/span>plummeted<\/span><\/a> and her <\/span>frontrunner status<\/span><\/a> evaporated. She soon <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> that she would not run for the ruling PPP\u2019s leadership election, as Yoon made his mark on his party.<\/span><\/p>\n The result of Yoon\u2019s heavy-handed involvement in party politics has been to elevate Ahn Cheol-soo, a one-time political opponent who has rebranded as a Yoon supporter. But while party members may be hedging their bets against Yoon\u2019s unpopularity by opting for an outsider like Ahn, his elevation could anger long-term party supporters and kick off a new round of intra-party struggle.<\/span><\/p>\n WAR OF THE LOYALISTS<\/b><\/p>\n When Na <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> that she would not run for the leadership election a week ago, political observers noted that the leadership race had come down to a choice between Kim Gi-hyeon and Ahn Cheol-soo <\/span>\u2014 two self-declared Yoon loyalists<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Kim is a long-time conservative politician who<\/span> began his career<\/span><\/a> i<\/span>n 2003 as a spokesperson for the Grand National Party, while Ahn is a relative newcomer to conservative politics. Ahn joined the PPP in 2022 after he agreed to merge his now-defunct People Party with the PPP and <\/span>endorse<\/span><\/a> Yoon for the presidency when he faced off against Lee Jae-Myung.<\/span><\/p>\n At the time of Na\u2019s announcement, internal PPP polls <\/span>indicated<\/span><\/a> that Kim was the heavy favorite to lead South Korea\u2019s ruling party. However, ROK politics is nothing if not dynamic. Days after Na\u2019s announcement, another potential leadership candidate, Yoo Seong-min, <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> he would not run for party leader as polls showed that he has less than 10% support.<\/span><\/p>\n Na had actually made a great effort to appear <\/span>deferential<\/span><\/a> to President Yoon, even as her <\/span>public disagreement<\/span><\/a> with his office\u2019s birth rate policy put her at odds with him. On the other hand, Yoo, a former four-term lawmaker, has been considered by many as a <\/span>critic<\/span><\/a> of Yoon from within the PPP.<\/span><\/p>\n Na\u2019s decision not to run <\/span>doubled<\/span><\/a> Ahn\u2019s approval numbers, and Yoo\u2019s follow-up decision catapulted Ahn as <\/span>the new frontrunner<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n