The Korea Times

Jang Dong-hyeok cannot ignore verdict of voters forever

The verdict delivered by voters in Korea’s local elections was unmistakable. The People Power Party (PPP) suffered a crushing setback, winning only four of the nation’s 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial contests after having captured 12 in the previous local elections. While the party narrowly retained the Seoul mayoralty and gained ground in a handful of parliamentary by-elections, these isolated successes cannot obscure the larger reality: The electorate issued a stern rebuke to a party leadership that has consistently refused to confront its own failures. At the center of that rejection stands PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok. The election was widely seen as a referendum on the party’s conduct following the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law crisis and the subsequent impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Rather than engaging in meaningful reflection or pursuing genuine reform, Jang chose to preserve and defend the political forces that had brought the conservative movement to its lowest point in decades. Voters responded accordingly. Yet instead of acknowledging the scale of t