People Power Party leadership candidates Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyeok, who advanced to the runoff, raise their joined hands after receiving bouquets at the 6th People Power Party National Convention held at the Cheongju OSCO in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on the 22nd. August 22, 2025. [Joint Press Corps] hkmpooh@yna.co.kr

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Pyeong-cheon = As the People Power Party’s leadership race narrows down to a final showdown, candidates Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyeok—both of whom oppose the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol—are pursuing strategic differentiation as of the 24th.

While both candidates share a core base that opposes the impeachment, Kim is focusing on reform-minded conservatives, whereas Jang is concentrating on appealing to the party's hardline members.

Kim is advocating for a "grand integration" that encompasses everyone, including the "pro-Yoon" flagbearer Jeon Han-gil, those who favored impeachment, and the pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction.

This message of unity is linked to a strategy aimed at capturing the votes of those who supported impeachment, previously held by candidates Ahn Cheol-soo and Cho Kyoung-tae, who were eliminated in the first round.

Immediately following the convention on the 22nd, Kim held a press conference where he reached out to them, stating, "I will meet with those who favored impeachment to engage in dialogue and discussion," and calling Ahn and Cho "figures needed by our party."

In fact, he had a luncheon with Ahn the previous day and spoke with Cho over the phone.

He claimed that during his meeting with Ahn, they reached a consensus on the necessity of cooperation within the party.

Analysts suggest that Kim’s push for integration is also a tactical move to differentiate himself from Jang and attract votes from the pro-Han faction.

Jang, by contrast, opposes "unconditional integration," criticizing the pro-Han faction’s Cho by stating, "If those who put the party at risk maintain their stance even after the convention, we cannot walk together."

It appears that Kim’s call for integration is beginning to move the sentiment of the pro-Han faction.

Former party leader Han Dong-hoon posted on Facebook the previous day, stating, "Democracy is the best system for avoiding the worst," and urged, "Please vote actively in the runoff to ensure the People Power Party avoids the worst."

This is widely interpreted as an implicit endorsement for Kim.

Kim's camp expects that his efforts to embrace the pro-Han faction will also have a positive impact on the public opinion polls.

On the other hand, Jang, who has championed a platform of "personnel reform" targeting those who favored impeachment by declaring he would "clean out those who snipe from within," is actively stimulating the party's hardline base day by day.

Rather than offering conciliatory messages to secure the votes of those who supported impeachment, he is taking a tougher stance, focusing on consolidating his hardcore support base, including those who remain loyal to former President Yoon.

As the runoff has become a contest between two candidates who both oppose impeachment, it has become clear that party members generally harbor resentment toward those who supported it, potentially leading Jang to conclude that targeting those votes would not be beneficial.

In a Facebook post the previous day, Jang also limited the scope of integration to "right-wing citizens," arguing that "right-wing citizens must unite to fight as a single front," while dismissing Kim’s vision for grand integration as "vague."

Some analysts suggest that Jang’s hardline mode is intended to secure the "organizational votes" of lawmakers and district party committee chairs.

The observation is that the sharper the contrast Jang draws with the pro-Han faction and Kim, the more likely the votes of the old guard—such as the pro-Yoon faction that once faced off against former leader Han during the impeachment phase and against Kim during the presidential candidate unification phase—will coalesce around him.

Representative Sung Il-jong, a senior lawmaker who once called for the unification of presidential candidates, posted on Facebook the previous day calling for Kim to step down, stating, "The emergence of a new and young force for change and reform is a demand of the era, and I hope Candidate Kim will make a bold decision."

As a senior lawmaker, Sung is seen as close to the old guard, though he is considered to have a relatively neutral factional profile.

With both anti-impeachment candidates Kim and Jang pushing different theories of integration, some analysts suggest that the runoff turnout could become the deciding variable.

The reasoning is that a high turnout could be interpreted as a sign of high participation by reform-minded conservatives, which would favor Kim, who has demonstrated a more inclusive approach.

Conversely, some view a low turnout as potentially favoring Jang, as it would amplify the impact of the consolidated hardline base and organizational votes. This is based on the judgment that if Kim, a representative anti-impeachment figure, fails to absorb the votes of those who supported impeachment and the pro-Han faction—who demand he sever ties with former President Yoon and Jeon Han-gil—turnout could suffer.

The People Power Party will conduct voting for party members (80%) and public opinion polling (20%) over the next two days, finally electing its new party leader on the 26th.

pc@yna.co.kr

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