PPP goes two-track ahead of local elections

Feb 11, 2026, 08:11 am

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Floor leader Song Eon-seok speaks during a party leadership meeting at the National Assembly on Monday. / Photo by Song Eui-joo

The People Power Party (PPP) has adopted a two-track strategy of shoring up its conservative base while seeking broader voter outreach, with just 112 days remaining until the local elections.

The shift comes as party leaders signal a move away from hardline conservative YouTubers and toward centrist voters. Party chairman Jang Dong-hyuk appeared Monday on the YouTube program Huh Min’s News Show, stressing that slogans such as “Yoon Again” alone would not be enough to win elections.

“On issues such as martial law, impeachment, severing ties and ‘Yoon Again,’ I have made my position clear even before the party convention,” Jang said. “The question is not whether Jang Dong-hyuk can join them, but whether they will join Jang Dong-hyuk in leading a People Power Party capable of resolving the current political turmoil.”

The remarks follow an earlier message from chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon, who on Feb. 2 said the party leadership would keep its distance from the “Yoon Again” movement. Political observers see the comments as a signal that, after consolidating support among its core base, the party is now recalibrating its strategy to attract moderates and undecided voters.

Since taking office, Jang has focused heavily on mobilizing loyal supporters. During the Aug. 22 party convention last year, he emphasized an anti-impeachment stance and secured the party leadership with strong backing from hardline conservatives. After his election, he prioritized street rallies and alliances with conservative civic groups and YouTubers, arguing that the party’s 107 lawmakers must rely on solidarity with right-leaning citizens willing to “fight together.”

Jang has also maintained a tough line against pro–Han Dong-hoon factions within the party, labeling them as “internal attackers,” while publicly visiting former President Yoon Suk Yeol and defending supporters of the “Yoon Again” movement. At the same time, he has insisted that opposing impeachment does not amount to endorsing martial law, seeking to preserve ties with the party’s staunchest backers.

However, as the local elections approach, a growing number of senior party figures have begun to emphasize the limits of this approach. Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo, known as one of the party’s most hardline voices, said Monday on a YouTube program that “without winning elections, neither electoral reform nor the release of former President Yoon is possible.” He added at a forum the previous day that “chanting ‘Yoon Again’ will not win the June 3 local elections.”

A party official said Kim’s comments were particularly telling. “For even the most hardline figure in the leadership to openly talk about expanding the party’s reach suggests a clear signal,” the official said. “It shows an effort to broaden voter support while minimizing backlash from the core base.”

As election day draws closer, the PPP appears intent on carefully balancing reassurance of loyal supporters with a renewed push toward the political center — a delicate two-track maneuver aimed at maximizing its chances at the polls.

#People Power Party #local elections #two-track strategy #core supporters #voter outreach