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Jang Dong-hyuk elected as new PPP leader, but stays tied to anti-impeachment faction

Published: 27 Aug. 2025, 00:01

Jang Dong-hyuk, newly elected leader of the People Power Party, answers questions about his plans for managing the party during a press conference at the PPP leader’s office in the National Assembly on Aug. 26. Behind him is a slogan labeling the ruling Democratic Party as a “dictatorial party” and vowing to block it together with the people. [YONHAP]

Jang Dong-hyuk has been elected leader of the People Power Party (PPP), defeating former presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo in a runoff vote. The party convention took place in the shadow of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of emergency martial law, his subsequent impeachment, and the party’s loss in the presidential election.

Despite this backdrop, Jang’s victory as a staunch member of the anti-impeachment faction reflected strong support from hard-line party members. Both finalists belonged to the faction, but Kim argued for including those who had supported impeachment, while Jang took a harder stance, saying there could be “no tolerance for internal sniping.” Public opinion polls showed Kim in the lead, but party members overwhelmingly favored Jang, underscoring a gap between party sentiment and the wider electorate.

After his win, Jang pledged fierce resistance against President Lee Jae Myung, declaring he would “devote everything to bringing down this administration.” He also portrayed his election as the beginning of party reform, promising to “press ahead without pause to modernize the PPP.” Yet critics questioned how innovation could be achieved while clinging to a path voters had already rejected.

Jang credited his victory to a shifting media landscape and thanked right-wing YouTubers for their support. He even suggested he might visit Yoon, signaling no break from the “Yoon Again” faction. Instead, he sharpened his rhetoric against pro-impeachment figures, arguing that unity was essential for broader conservative cooperation.

With three of the five newly elected Supreme Council members also from the anti-impeachment camp, the PPP’s leadership is now dominated by that faction. Jang’s immediate test will come in next year’s local elections. But as long as the conservative opposition remains fixated on impeachment and martial law, it will struggle to expand beyond its core strongholds in Yeongnam and southern Seoul. Electoral victories hinge on moderate voters. For the PPP, real reform means offering policies and an image that can appeal to centrists and the younger generation.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.