Can Jang Dong-hyuk Unite the People Power Party Before Local Elections? Here’s What You Need to Know

The People Power Party declared a \"severing of ties\" with former president Yoon Suk Yeol at a party meeting on the 9th, but political observers say the party still faces many unresolved challenges. With the June 3 local elections approaching, the move may have smoothed over internal divisions on the surface, yet doubts remain about whether Jang Dong-hyuk can build a truly unified front.

According to political insiders, Jang’s immediate priority is to win over prominent figures who have not applied for nominations in the local elections, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-hum. After the party announced the break with Yoon, Mayor Oh called the resolution—issued in the names of all party lawmakers—a meaningful first step that provides candidates in the Seoul metropolitan area a basic platform to run on.

However, reopening nominations could spark disputes over fairness. Lee Jeong-hyun, chair of the nominations committee, left open the possibility of accepting additional applications but warned at a press briefing that treating rules and procedures lightly would undermine fairness.

The party must also address recruitment shortfalls for metropolitan and local executive and assembly seats outside the Seoul metro and the Daegu–Gyeongbuk region. When the People Power Party closed candidate applications on the 8th, submissions in those areas fell so far short of expectations that some described it as a hiring shortage.

Jang also faces pressure to decide whether to lift disciplinary measures and seek apologies from lawmakers aligned with the pro-Chin Han (Chin Han-dong-hoon) faction. Since the declaration, those faction-aligned lawmakers have intensified pressure on Jang. Some have called for personnel changes targeting party officials who have used inflammatory rhetoric. Representative Ahn Sang-hoon said the leadership must honestly accept responsibility for the divisions and the purge politics that followed poor judgment, and must immediately rescind any unfair disciplinary measures.

Ultimately, Jang needs to steady the party and produce results in the local elections that exceed expectations to validate his leadership. Still, many inside and outside the political arena doubt that this belated move will sway the electorate.

Choi Yo-hanpolitical commentator told Aju Business Daily, \"Jang can apologize or lift sanctions, but I don't think that will win over the public. Who would believe he suddenly changed right before an election?\" Shin YulMyongji University professor added that the elections are the real test of his crisis-management ability, and given the current climate, even a personal declaration by Jang is unlikely to move voters. \"His image has hardened into 'he wouldn't do that,' which makes it difficult to generate change,\" he said.

Some in the political world say the People Power Party may quickly shift to a campaign committee structure and push Jang into a secondary role. Analysts argue the party could have the campaign committee lead the local elections to create distance from Jang and better appeal to voters.