On the 24th, Yoon Hee-sook of the People’s Power delivered the first platform and policy speech ahead of the presidential election on KBS 1TV, criticizing former President Yoon Seok-yeol and the pro-Yoon faction within the party. In her speech, Yoon sharply criticized the political tendencies that align with power, suggesting that they result in tragic outcomes like martial law. Although the leadership of the People’s Power appeared embarrassed, they officially stated that they generally agreed with the intent of the speech.
Yoon Hee-sook described the political atmosphere over the past four years as progressively worsening and stated that the behavior of the People’s Power was equally shameful. She accused the party of removing two party leaders by force and suppressing candidates in the party leader election through petitions circulated by numerous lawmakers.
The two forcibly removed leaders referred to are presumed to be lawmaker Lee Jun-seok and former leader Han Dong-hoon. Na Kyung-won, who intended to run in the 2023 party leader election, withdrew after facing pressure from pro-Yoon lawmakers through a circulated petition.
Yoon further expressed that politics, which aligns with power, ultimately led to disastrous outcomes similar to martial law, confessing that the People’s Power deeply regrets its actions and sincerely apologizes to the public. She criticized the notion that the party was so complacent that even plans for martial law were not pre-communicated by the president.
Commenting on former President Yoon, she questioned his claim of having won upon returning to his private residence following his impeachment, stating that what was left for the party was deep frustration and public disregard.
Yoon advocated for the new president to focus on constitutional reform and to be a three-year term president dedicated to restructuring the powers and responsibilities of the president and the National Assembly to end the dismal political situation. She also suggested that the new president should promise to hold presidential and general elections concurrently in April 2028.
Furthermore, Yoon proposed that the new president should renounce party affiliation on their first day in office, affirming their position as the foremost citizen rather than the first party member. She emphasized forming a coalition government immediately upon inauguration to focus efforts on economic stabilization, while keeping it separate from political strife.
Although Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader, acknowledged that Yoon’s speech may not represent the official stance of the party, he resonated with the speech’s general sentiments, particularly regarding the party and government’s communication breakdown and the constitutional overreach by the Democratic Party exacerbating the situation. However, he disagreed with the notion of renouncing party affiliation, citing its contradiction to responsible politics.
The leadership of the People’s Power was aware of Yoon’s platform and policy speech but reportedly did not know its specific content.