0
People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyeok speaks on the 14th at a forum held at the National Assembly titled "The Investigative Gaps Revealed by the Jang Yoon-ki Case and the Necessity of Supplementary Investigative Powers." / Yonhap

Current and former leaders of the conservative bloc, including People Power Party Leader Jang Dong-hyeok, Reform Party Leader Lee Jun-seok, and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, are locked in a fierce battle for the leadership of the next conservative movement. Jang is positioning himself at the forefront of the struggle against the opposition, while Lee and Han continue their disputes over current issues to boost their respective political presence.

According to political circles on the 15th, Jang is leading the offensive against the Democratic Party by focusing on its push to abolish the prosecution's supplementary investigative powers and demanding a special counsel probe into the National Election Commission regarding the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections.

"If the committee assignments and special counsel negotiations are not resolved, I will not attend the Constitution Day ceremony," Jang said during an appearance on the YouTube channel PenNMike TV. He criticized the opposition, saying, "The Democratic Party's monopolization of standing committee chairmanships and its push to abolish supplementary investigative powers are ultimately aimed at dismissing the indictments against Lee Jae-myung."

Jang also attended a rally in Gwangju addressing the ballot shortage, where he demanded the appointment of a special counsel recommended by the opposition and called for a re-election.

Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok and Han Dong-hoon are engaging in a daily war of words over the controversy surrounding a staged terror attack involving political figures.

Han took to Facebook to target Lee, writing, "The police and the Reform Party must disclose exactly when they realized this was a staged incident." In response, Lee met with reporters and countered, "It was impossible to know at the time. Han seems to have other motives for continuously bringing up this issue."

Political analysts suggest that their clashes extend beyond mere disputes over current affairs and are closely tied to the competition for leadership of the next conservative bloc. With all three figures expressing clear stances on major issues to rally their support bases and expand their political footprints, the psychological warfare is expected to intensify.

"The recent clashes among the current and former leaders from our party should be viewed as a struggle for the leadership of the next conservative movement, and this chain of conflicts will only grow fiercer," a People Power Party official remarked. "All three of them likely feel that backing down now is not an option."

                                                                                                          Kim Dong-wook