People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk urged voters to support his party during a rally in Seoul's Yeonnam-dong area this week [1].
The rally comes three days before the national election, marking the final holiday preceding the vote [1]. The event represents a high-stakes effort to mobilize the conservative base and paint the opposition as a risk to the nation's governance [2].
During his address, Jang targeted the Democratic Party candidate, Lee Jae-myung. He characterized the opponent's qualifications, saying, “Incompetence is basic, a criminal record is optional” [2]. Jang said that a victory for Lee would transform South Korea into a massive distribution system [2].
To emphasize the precarious nature of the race, Jang said that he could lose the election by a single vote [1]. This underscores the party's strategy to maximize voter turnout in the final hours of the campaign.
The People Power Party also leveraged the presence of former leaders to consolidate support. Former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye appeared in the region to campaign alongside party members [1]. Their participation is intended to signal unity within the conservative movement, and lend historical weight to the party's current platform [2].
Jang's rhetoric focused on the perceived threat to freedom and the legal history of the opposing candidate [2]. By framing the election as a choice between stability and a candidate with a criminal record, the People Power Party seeks to sway undecided voters who prioritize law and order [2].
““Incompetence is basic, a criminal record is optional,””
The mobilization of former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye indicates that the People Power Party is relying on legacy leadership to shore up its base. By focusing on the criminal records and perceived incompetence of Lee Jae-myung, the party is attempting to shift the electoral conversation away from policy and toward the moral and legal fitness of the opposition candidate.
