A first-term and re-elected lawmaker made a similar point. "If you take a step back, the actions our party should take are clear, but right now the party is not doing that and is fighting for hegemony. Even the lawmakers who used to voice opinions that aligned with public sentiment have all stepped back. Some lawmakers within the party are saying the same things as far-right YouTubers or Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon. If the party is run that way, there is no way out of the worsening situation. Many of our party's actions have already thrown a nuclear bomb at the metropolitan area ahead of the local elections. The party leaders will now have to think about it. Whether their constituency is in the metropolitan area or Yeongnam, it won't be someone else's problem."
The reason the People Power Party can ignore public opinion, focusing on pro-Yoon, Yeongnam, and senior lawmakers, is that there is still a lot of time until the 2028 general election. Calculating until the 2028 general election, even if they hand over power to the Democratic Party through an early presidential election, they believe that protecting President Yoon now will be more advantageous for preserving their positions in the general election four years later. The belief that they can at least hold onto Yeongnam in the 2026 local elections also plays a part. Ultimately, preserving their parliamentary badges is the main goal. A ruling party aide said, "The pro-Yoon faction is preparing to go until the next election. If excessive loyalty to the party leader is a problem for the Democratic Party, the People Power Party is selfish. The problem is that there is no sacrifice, only survival."
"The People Power Party inevitably chose party sentiment over public sentiment. They are trying to reset the party with the old mainstream and pro-Yoon faction based on a concrete support base. It doesn't fit the public, but it fits the party members. There are concerns about 'won't we fail in the election,' but they can transform again during the election. They can kneel and apologize to the public, saying 'we will promote innovation in the party' and form a new leadership. Anyway, the next local election will be difficult. However, no matter how poorly they perform in the local elections, they will win in Yeongnam. If Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party becomes president through an early presidential election, they will become the opposition party for two years and attack the Lee Jae-myung administration." Political commentator Park Sang-byeong analyzed that from the ruling party's perspective, considering the early presidential election situation, the 2026 local elections, and the 2028 23rd general election plan, the current actions of the People Power Party are an 'inevitable choice.' In a situation where party sentiment and public sentiment cannot go together, they have no choice but to choose party members and supporters centered on Yeongnam.
Professor Kim also criticized that the senior members of the People Power Party (Yeongnam lawmakers) learned the 'impeachment survival law' that only takes care of their interests after experiencing the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2016. "They say it's 'impeachment trauma,' but that's a lie. In fact, they learned the 'wise impeachment survival law.' 'Even if they are impeached, they just need to lie low until the election and get nominated. Previously, Yoo Seung-min and Kim Moo-sung went out and became traitors and all died,' they have learned. There is still a lot of time until the parliamentary election, so they have no intention of moving. After the 2016 impeachment, during the 2020 general election, they created the Innovation and Integration Promotion Committee and barely managed to form a new face by including the centrists to hold the election, but the senior members now do not think that way."
In the end, it all boils down to the logic that they will still get votes.
Four years later, they will forget everything and vote again, thinking 'whatever,' which is why they look down on the people.
Let's see what happens in four years.