A pandering PPP will lose centrist votes
After a brief period of rising approval ratings, the People Power Party (PPP) has hit a plateau. A poll released Monday by Realmeter showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported a "change of government led by the opposition," compared to 44.5 percent who favored the "ruling party’s continuation in power" — a gap beyond the margin of error. Support for a change in administration increased by 2.3 percentage points from the previous survey, while support for extending the PPP’s rule fell by 0.7 percentage points. Regardless of who the PPP fields as its presidential candidate, the ruling party is trailing significantly in a head-to-head matchup against Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung.
Similar trends have emerged in other surveys. According to a Gallup Korea poll conducted from Feb. 11 to 13, 59 percent of respondents believed President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial would result in his removal, while only 32 percent expected his acquittal. Meanwhile, in a National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from Feb. 10 to 12, support for impeachment reached 58 percent, up 2 percentage points from the previous week, while opposition to impeachment fell by 2 percentage points to 38 percent.
After the Dec. 3 martial law incident, the PPP’s approval ratings initially plummeted but later rebounded as backlash grew against the DP’s relentless impeachment efforts and its obstruction of governance. The controversy surrounding Lee Jae-myung’s leadership also helped consolidate conservative support. However, this momentum appears to be waning. Lee, for his part, has attempted a policy shift to the right, advocating for inheritance tax reductions, but his wavering stance on the 52-hour workweek has raised questions about his sincerity. Despite these missteps by the opposition, the PPP remains passive, failing to assert its leadership on pressing issues such as pension reform and medical school quotas. Instead of offering solutions, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong devoted much of his recent parliamentary speech to attacking the opposition leader, clinging to a blame game strategy.
The party’s handling of the impeachment issue has also been inconsistent. PPP Emergency Committee Chair Kwon Young-se admitted during a press forum on Monday that the declaration of martial law was “clearly a wrongful decision.” Yet, when asked about the National Assembly’s vote to revoke it, he said he would not have participated in the vote even if he had been present — an evasive answer aimed at appeasing the party’s hard-line supporters. Senior PPP lawmakers, despite widespread public opposition to martial law, visited Seoul Detention Center to meet with President Yoon and relay his messages. On Monday, about 30 PPP lawmakers gathered in front of the Constitutional Court to demand the resignation of acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae, further fueling criticism that they are laying the groundwork for rejecting the court’s ruling.
If an early presidential election is held, the outcome will hinge on centrist voters. Currently, the PPP is trailing the DP significantly among moderates. Yet the party continues to pander to its base, fixated on opposing impeachment rather than broadening its appeal. It is no surprise that critics accuse the PPP of shrinking the conservative political sphere through its own shortsightedness. At this rate, warnings that the PPP could "easily" lose a snap election to the opposition should not be dismissed lightly. Beyond electoral concerns, the ruling party must take seriously the growing criticism that it is failing to assert leadership amid rapid shifts in domestic and international affairs.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
Similar trends have emerged in other surveys. According to a Gallup Korea poll conducted from Feb. 11 to 13, 59 percent of respondents believed President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial would result in his removal, while only 32 percent expected his acquittal. Meanwhile, in a National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from Feb. 10 to 12, support for impeachment reached 58 percent, up 2 percentage points from the previous week, while opposition to impeachment fell by 2 percentage points to 38 percent.
After the Dec. 3 martial law incident, the PPP’s approval ratings initially plummeted but later rebounded as backlash grew against the DP’s relentless impeachment efforts and its obstruction of governance. The controversy surrounding Lee Jae-myung’s leadership also helped consolidate conservative support. However, this momentum appears to be waning. Lee, for his part, has attempted a policy shift to the right, advocating for inheritance tax reductions, but his wavering stance on the 52-hour workweek has raised questions about his sincerity. Despite these missteps by the opposition, the PPP remains passive, failing to assert its leadership on pressing issues such as pension reform and medical school quotas. Instead of offering solutions, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong devoted much of his recent parliamentary speech to attacking the opposition leader, clinging to a blame game strategy.
The party’s handling of the impeachment issue has also been inconsistent. PPP Emergency Committee Chair Kwon Young-se admitted during a press forum on Monday that the declaration of martial law was “clearly a wrongful decision.” Yet, when asked about the National Assembly’s vote to revoke it, he said he would not have participated in the vote even if he had been present — an evasive answer aimed at appeasing the party’s hard-line supporters. Senior PPP lawmakers, despite widespread public opposition to martial law, visited Seoul Detention Center to meet with President Yoon and relay his messages. On Monday, about 30 PPP lawmakers gathered in front of the Constitutional Court to demand the resignation of acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae, further fueling criticism that they are laying the groundwork for rejecting the court’s ruling.
If an early presidential election is held, the outcome will hinge on centrist voters. Currently, the PPP is trailing the DP significantly among moderates. Yet the party continues to pander to its base, fixated on opposing impeachment rather than broadening its appeal. It is no surprise that critics accuse the PPP of shrinking the conservative political sphere through its own shortsightedness. At this rate, warnings that the PPP could "easily" lose a snap election to the opposition should not be dismissed lightly. Beyond electoral concerns, the ruling party must take seriously the growing criticism that it is failing to assert leadership amid rapid shifts in domestic and international affairs.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
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