The Koreas | Politics | East Asia

Can the PPP Really Move on From Yoon Suk-yeol?

Hoping to avoid a wipe-out at the local elections, the party finally issued an apology. But it’s going to be difficult to shake its pro-Yoon image – especially with the current leadership. 

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks to the press on Jan. 8, 2026.

Less than 100 days away from the June 3 local elections, the People Power Party (PPP), South Korea’s main opposition party, held an emergency general meeting of its lawmakers. The party adopted a unanimous resolution stating, “We clearly oppose any claims demanding the political comeback of former President Yoon Suk-yeol.”

In the resolution, PPP lawmakers apologized for the December 3 emergency martial law declaration and pledged to halt all actions and remarks that escalate conflict among party members, instead moving toward unity. Party leadership emphasized their intention to completely dissociate from “Yoon Again” forces, which advocate Yoon’s political return despite his impeachment and convictions for insurrection and other related charges. 

Many PPP lawmakers had been calling for the party to sever ties with Yoon, lest the PPP shrink into a regional organization limited to Daegu and Gyeongbuk, traditional conservative strongholds. Indeed, few PPP candidates registered for local elections outside of these regions – for example, three candidates are running in the PPP primary for mayor of Seoul and two for Gyeonggi governor while nine are in the running for mayor of Daegu and six for Gyeongbuk governor. Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon did not register his candidacy.

The PPP’s supposed declaration to sever ties with Yoon raises two questions. First, does this signal a meaningful shift in the party’s direction? Second, will it help the party in the upcoming elections? As long as Jang Dong-hyeok remains party leader and maintains his heretofore political stance, the answer to both questions appears to be no.

Jang remained silent at the meeting that passed the resolution opposing Yoon’s return. His silence reflects the political constraints he faces. Ultraright YouTuber Jeon Han-gil declared the resolution “the end of liberal democracy” and publicly pressured Jang to clarify his position, arguing that he himself had played a major role in Jang’s rise to opposition leader. Jeon’s bold and provocative criticism of efforts to reform the PPP illustrates the political environment that Jang has cultivated since Yoon’s impeachment. 

Jang was elected as the PPP’s chief in August 2025 – over four months after the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld Yoon’s impeachment for his illegal declaration of martial law. Yet under Jang’s leadership, the party has........

© The Diplomat