Mourners at a memorial altar. The photo is not related to any specific content in the article / Yonhap News

On December 3rd, it marked the first anniversary of President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law on December 3rd. Although President Yoon, who declared martial law, is still on trial while in detention, younger generations, including those from the "Freedom University," held rallies and marches to commemorate "Enlightenment Day," shouting "Yoon Again." The Democratic Party, as usual, reacted with indifference, merely repeating "end of rebellion." However, the real commotion occurred within the People Power Party.

Around the first anniversary, voices demanding an apology for martial law and a political break from President Yoon began to surface, as if they had been waiting for this moment. On December 3rd itself, twenty-five members of the People Power Party announced a collective apology at the National Assembly Communication Center, declaring their political severance from former President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The list of these 25 individuals is as follows. Let us remember them.

Ko Dong-jin, Kwon Young-jin, Kim Geon, Kim Sung-won, Kim So-hee, Kim Yong-tae, Kim Jae-seop, Kim Hyung-dong, Park Jeong-ha, Park Jeong-hoon, Bae Jun-young, Seo Beom-su, Song Seok-jun, Shin Seong-beom, Ahn Sang-hoon, Ahn Cheol-soo, Uhm Tae-young, Woo Jae-jun, Yoo Yong-won, Lee Sang-hwi, Lee Seong-kwon, Jeong Yeon-wook, Cho Eun-hee, Jin Jong-oh, Choi Hyung-doo

These 25 individuals were, as expected, the ones we assumed would be. Therefore, there were opinions that it was a good thing, as ridding the People Power Party of just these 25 would purify the party and allow it to be reborn as a true conservative party. However, the problem was that this was not the end of it.

The very next day, the list of 40 individuals who participated in the official apology regarding the December 3rd martial law was released through channels like YouTube's Lee Young-pung TV. These 40 People Power Party members include the 25 who previously issued the apology, as well as those who attended the apology event or expressed their opinion that an apology was necessary. 

However, this is unexpected. It includes individuals who were previously classified as pro-Yoon, those who received badges with President Yoon's support, and those who guarded the Yongsan Presidential Office during the president's arrest commotion. What kind of situation is this?

Ahead of the local elections, internal rifts that the People Power Party should be most wary of are flaring up again. The problem is not the offensive from the Democratic Party, but rather the "grey forces within the party" who are raising their heads again, urging the party to give up the fight before even facing the ruling Democratic Party as the main opposition party. 

Following Representative Yoon Han-hong's harsh criticism of the leadership, stating, "It's like a dirty dog criticizing a cleaner dog," in front of Representative Jang Dong-hyuk, Representative Kwon Young-jin raised a crisis theory, saying, "The nightmare of the 2018 local elections could be repeated." Representative Kim Yong-tae also repeatedly advocated for expansion towards the center, saying, "We must go with the majority of the people." Their arguments all share the logic that "apologize and live." 

However, anyone with even a little understanding of conservative history and the realities of global politics knows that this path is a shortcut to defeat. The problem is not the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership, but rather the grey forces within the party who are constantly diluting the party's line and are reluctant to share values with the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. 

Representative Yoon Han-hong was once evaluated as an "original pro-Yoon" figure. Yet, he argued that the cause of the martial law controversy should not be attributed to the Democratic Party's legislative overreach, making statements that essentially surrendered to the Democratic Party's frame. While he cannot even state what the cause of martial law should be defined as if it is not the Democratic Party, his act of pouring vitriol at the leadership is interpreted as an attitude of avoiding political responsibility and merely playing it safe. Seeing this, the Democratic Party and other political factions are even cynically remarking, "It appears that an individual who claimed to be pro-Yoon is the first to distance himself when a crisis arises." 

Kwon Young-jin's situation is no different. During his tenure as Daegu Mayor, in November 2019, while Lee Jae-myung, then Governor of Gyeonggi Province, was undergoing his final appeal for violating the Public Official Election Act, he submitted a petition to the court along with 14 other provincial governors, titled "We earnestly request that Gyeonggi Province's governance continue without interruption." 

He is repeatedly arguing that "an apology is necessary to avoid provoking the centrist voters" if he is to avoid repeating the nightmare of the 2018 local election defeat. However, it is already common knowledge in political circles that the 2018 local election defeat was not due to a hardline stance, but rather because the conservative camp lost its identity and became lethargic and passive after the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Despite this, Kwon Young-jin distorts the cause of that failure and calls for a return to a line of "apology" and "weakness." 

Kim Yong-tae also joins in shaking up the leadership with his argument for expansion towards the center. He states that "we must go with the majority of the people" and that a centrist image should be prioritized over a clear line. However, this fool intentionally ignores the fact that there has never been a case where conservatism succeeded by posing as centrist. In the past, Kim Yong-tae has repeatedly followed a path of looking at public opinion rather than maintaining a central stance in internal party debates. This time as well, he is presenting only superficial prescriptions of image adjustment, rather than strengthening core values. 

In fact, the recent Jang Dong-hyuk leadership has been confronting the Lee Jae-myung administration by defining it as a "regime of plunder and destruction," and has been delivering clear messages on issues such as proposing the abolition of early elections and responding to the controversy surrounding the rebellion trial. Supreme Council Member Kim Min-su and the spokesperson team are also directly criticizing the Democratic Party's destruction of the rule of law and their "bulletproof defense" of the judiciary, thereby strengthening the image of a "fighting conservative." 

This direction is widely seen as effective in rallying core supporters and establishing clear standards amidst a chaotic political landscape. However, as the grey forces within the party demand an apology for martial law and a distancing from President Yoon Suk-yeol, their efforts to divide the message are instead widening opportunities for the Democratic Party's attacks. 

The trends in international politics also clearly reveal how conservative parties achieve victory. U.S. President Donald Trump regained power by emphasizing the crackdown on illegal immigration and his fight against the Washington establishment. Leaders like Milei in Argentina, Meloni in Italy, and Wilders in the Netherlands have all won with clear conservative lines. 

There is not a single conservative leader in the world who has succeeded in gaining power through image adjustment towards the center. Nevertheless, individuals like Yoon Han-hong, Kwon Young-jin, and Kim Yong-tae are ignoring the path proven by time and history, and are merely repeating the old and uninspired slogan of "apologize and live." 

However, establishing a clear line centered on the four pillars of liberal democracy, the rule of law, free market economy, and the ROK-US alliance, and maintaining a consistent message centered around the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership is the demand of the party's core supporters and a necessary and sufficient condition for the survival of conservatism.

If the voices shaking the party from within continue to grow, the Democratic Party will use this as a stepping stone to launch even stronger attacks, and the painful precedent of losing 14 out of 17 metropolitan mayoral positions to the Democratic Party in the June 2018 local elections could be repeated. 

The People Power Party was established by the people to fight against the left and on their behalf. To hear voices calling for surrender and apology is no different from raising a white flag. The success or failure of local elections ultimately depends on who approaches voters with a clearer line. If the statements of Yoon Han-hong, Kwon Young-jin, and Kim Yong-tae continue, it is no different from handing a sword to the Democratic Party. 

What is needed now is unity, and the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership must be at its center. Let us remember that the victory of conservatism has always come from clarity.