The People Power Party, with fewer than 90 days until the June 3 local elections, has effectively adopted a de facto "break with Yoon" stance as its official position in an attempt to reset the political narrative. A string of polls showed the party’s support slipping from the 20% range into the 10% range, and mounting complaints from prospective local candidates boiled over. The party convened an emergency caucus and adopted a resolution — signed by all its lawmakers, including leader Jang Dong-hyuk — that explicitly opposes "Yoon Again."
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who had withheld his candidacy pending a change in party direction, welcomed the move, saying, "This finally gives us the minimal footing needed to contest the election; change has begun." Voices across party factions described it as "late, but thankfully" and said candidates can now finally get to the field. On the 10th, Floor Leader Song Eon-seok said that People Power will leave the past behind and move toward the future, adding, "We will win the local elections and check the Lee Jae-myung administration's unchecked rule."
The party hopes the "break with Yoon" declaration will unlock the nomination process and resolve the candidate logjam. In the capital region, several high-profile figures — including Mayor Oh (still unregistered), lawmakers Na Kyung-won, Ahn Cheol-soo, Kim Eun-hye, Shin Dong-wook, and former lawmakers Yoo Seung-min and Won Yoo-chul — have declined to run. In Chungcheong, another critical battleground, Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum also did not file, and most regions outside Daegu and North Gyeongsang are facing severe candidate shortages. Nomination Committee Chair Lee Jung-hyun has opened the door to additional applications, but how much interest that will generate remains unclear.
Even as the party signals a break with the "Yoon Again" camp, many worry the move is little more than electioneering. Fault lines remain — including the unresolved discipline issues around former leader Han Dong-hoon — and Leader Jang’s continued silence for a second day risks reigniting controversy. The party needs to move quickly on substantive follow-through measures to convince voters it has genuinely changed. An early transition to a campaign leadership centered on reform could help. Only when voters feel People Power has been reborn will mainstream conservative forces be able to consolidate effectively.
