Seoul: The People Power Party (PPP) spent much of May 14 mired in debate over whether former President Yoon Suk Yeol should voluntarily leave the party. Speculation was fueled after lawyer Seo Jung-wook, known for his pro-Yoon stance, suggested in a media interview that Yoon may make a “sacrificial, pre-emptive” decision to step down. Cho Won-jin, head of the Our Republican Party, added that Yoon’s aides were trying to persuade him. In response, PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun, also a Yoon loyalist, wrote on social media that “asking Yoon to leave the party is like abandoning a commander who fell while defending the system.” With just 19 days left before the June 3 presidential election, the PPP’s internal feuding over Yoon’s party membership is exasperating. The party’s inability to move past a former president who has already been impeached and indicted speaks volumes about its leadership vacuum.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Moon-soo, the PPP’s presidential candidate, who should be boldly distancing himself from the legacy of martial law, has instead added to the confusion. On May 12, he publicly apologized to the people for the suffering caused by Yoon’s martial law declaration. But just two days later, he backtracked, saying he “respects the former president’s judgment.” While expressing remorse for the crisis, Kim avoids clearly addressing Yoon’s role in it, revealing a lack of political clarity.
Yoon should have stepped down from the party immediately after the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled for his impeachment. More than a month has passed, and he remains the PPP’s symbolic “first member.” How can voters accept that? As internal calls for his expulsion grew louder, party strategists floated the idea of a voluntary departure as a compromise – a move to appease hard-line supporters while attempting to regain centrist voters. But the timing has already blunted its effect, and even the sincerity is in doubt. The decision to appoint lawyer Seok Dong-hyun – who vocally defended Yoon’s martial law declaration – as head of Kim’s civil society committee only added to public outrage. Under such leadership, how can the PPP expect cooperation from anti-Yoon factions, let alone build a broader anti-Lee Jae-myung coalition?
Since his impeachment, Yoon has denied key witness testimony in his criminal trial. After Kim was confirmed as the candidate following a chaotic leadership meeting at dawn, Yoon posted a message on social media claiming his “heart remains with the nation, the party and the people.” That only fueled public anger. Calls for the PPP to cut ties with Yoon have only grown.
If the PPP and Kim Moon-soo think lukewarm apologies and evasive gestures will win back public support, they are gravely mistaken. Only through a clear and sincere break with the impeached former president can they begin to rebuild trust. The public expects accountability for the chaos Yoon brought to the country. Without it, any talk of innovation from the party will fall on deaf ears.