Seoul: With the national convention on the horizon, the People Power Party (PPP) is caught in a controversy surrounding conservative YouTuber Jeon Han-gil. On August 11, the PPP's Ethics Committee announced plans to discipline Jeon for disrupting a joint campaign speech, as interim leader Song Eon-seog emphasized the party's intolerance for actions that harm its reputation and incite division.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the controversy has overshadowed the party's efforts to present its vision at the upcoming convention. Jeon, a vocal supporter of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, caused chaos at the first rally in Daegu by using a press badge issued to another outlet and inciting the crowd against a candidate who backed Yoon's impeachment.
In response, party leaders decided to bar Jeon from the Busan rally, though some candidates have come to his defense. Supreme Council contenders Kim Min-su, Kim Jae-won, Kim Tae-woo, and Son Beom-gyu appeared on Jeon's YouTube channel to question the disciplinary action, considering it retaliatory. They downplayed the disruption as a strong audience response and accused party leaders of "power abuse" and "press suppression."
The PPP's leadership candidates also face scrutiny. As Jeon advocated for protecting former President Yoon, candidates Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyeok promised to welcome Jeon back into the party, despite Yoon's non-cooperation with legal proceedings.
The PPP's challenges are compounded by its primary rules, where 80 percent of votes come from party members and only 20 percent from public opinion. This structure incentivizes candidates to court Jeon's favor rather than expand their appeal to the broader electorate. Since its defeat in the presidential election, the PPP has struggled to reform and remains entrenched in internal power struggles, risking the alienation of its diminishing support base.