The People Power Party (PPP), which had been steeped in distrust of opinion polls, changed after the local elections. Its party approval rating, which had hit a record low since the party's founding, began a steep climb immediately after the vote. Poll after poll showed the PPP ahead of the Democratic Party of Korea, and even President Lee Jae-myung's once-solid approval rating for state affairs began to waver. The party leadership displayed confidence, day after day pointing to the rising approval numbers.
The confidence did not last long. Just a month after the local elections, the upward trend reversed. According to a survey conducted by Realmeter on behalf of Energy Economy Daily of 1,008 voters aged 18 and older nationwide on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Democratic Party recorded 43%, up 2 percentage points from the previous survey, while the PPP recorded 40.3%, down 1.7 percentage points. The PPP, which about a month earlier had led the Democratic Party for the first time since the current government took office, gave up the lead again within a month.
The cause of the PPP's stalled approval rating can be found in its "lack of self-sufficiency." The recent rebound in approval ratings began with missteps by the government and ruling party, including poor election management. Combined with factional conflict within the Democratic Party, the windfall benefit grew even larger. Digging into the government's failures is the natural role of an opposition party. The problem is that the PPP failed to convert that opportunity into its own competitiveness.
At the watershed moment when it needed to prove the party's stamina, the PPP once again chose "infighting." PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok spoke of "establishing party discipline" and turned to disciplinary politics, while the pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction pushed back, calling "discipline a badge of honor." It is a familiar scene that has repeated since before the local elections. Criticism directed at the leader, Jang's hardline response, and the verbal battles that continue at the general assembly of lawmakers are no longer unfamiliar. Meanwhile, the offensive against the government and ruling party lost steam, and matters of national interest such as the National Election Commission controversy were pushed aside by internal disputes. In effect, the party is squandering the windfall gained from the government and ruling party's missteps on internal strife.
The PPP now stands on a test bed where, as the main opposition party, it must present alternatives. The fact that the rising approval trend has stalled does not mean the opportunity has vanished entirely. Even within the party, there are steady voices arguing that the issue of voting rights and livelihood matters should take priority over factional conflict. Debate over the party's direction is necessary. But if it is seen as merely a power struggle, the public has no choice but to turn away. Now is the time for the PPP to prove that it is a party capable of winning the public's choice through its own strength.
