Impeachment fallout: DPK rises, PPP scrambles ahead of snap election

The National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Dec. 14, 2024 / Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin

The Constitutional Court’s decision Friday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol has dramatically altered Korea’s political landscape.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is moving quickly to strengthen its position ahead of an early presidential election, while the ruling People Power Party (PPP) scrambles to contain the fallout. Both parties now find themselves navigating an increasingly volatile political landscape.

With voters heading to the polls within 60 days, Korea’s top political figures are racing to prepare for the snap election. The impeachment ruling has settled months of uncertainty over Yoon’s political future, setting the stage for a fierce contest where compromises will be hard to find.

The court’s finding that Yoon’s martial law declaration was both unconstitutional and unlawful has tilted the scale firmly toward the DPK. The party, which holds the largest number of seats in the National Assembly and served as the main opposition during Yoon’s presidency, moved swiftly to seize the political opportunity.

A joint survey conducted by Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research from Monday to Wednesday found that 51 percent of respondents favored an opposition candidate winning the presidency to bring about a change in government. Only 33 percent said they would prefer a ruling party candidate to maintain the current administration.

Buoyed by the public mood, the DPK is eager to avenge its narrow loss in the last presidential election. Yoon’s removal has given the party a second chance to achieve the power shift it narrowly missed three years ago.

Confident that the public has firmly rejected martial law, DPK leaders aim to frame the election as a choice between democracy and authoritarianism, rather than a conventional left-versus-right battle.

Meanwhile, the PPP is struggling to recover from the devastating blow of Yoon’s impeachment. Long-running divisions between pro- and anti-Yoon factions have widened, and party leaders now face the urgent task of rebuilding public trust and uniting behind a candidate who can appeal to disenchanted voters.

Rep. Kwon Young-se, interim leader of the People Power Party, speaks to the press at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday, after the Constitutional Court ruled to impeach former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yonhap

Although some within the PPP are calling for unity and renewal, others warn that the party’s legacy — now weighed down by having two impeached presidents in less than a decade — could become a significant liability at the ballot box.

"Both parties are expected to pick their presidential candidates within three to four weeks, but the abrupt timeline isn’t likely to confuse voters," Eom Kyeong-young, director of the Zeitgeist Institute, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

Within the DPK, there may be some debate about whether to nominate party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung outright or hold a primary. Still, few doubt that Lee will ultimately secure the nomination, Eom added.

Momentum is clearly on Lee’s side. His biggest legal hurdle was cleared on March 26, when an appellate court acquitted him of election law violations. A conviction would have cost him his National Assembly seat and likely ended his political career.

Yet hurdles remain ahead for Lee. To solidify his position, he must reach out to factions within the DPK that have been skeptical of his leadership. While his critics are less influential than his loyalists, failure to unify the party could revive criticisms that it is overly dominated by a single figure — a perception that could prove damaging in the next general elections.

The PPP, meanwhile, enters the race battered by public anger over the martial law controversy and the broader political fallout from Yoon’s removal.

Unlike the 2017 impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, conservative voters appear more unified this time. Even so, the PPP faces a familiar problem as it has struggled to broaden its appeal beyond its conservative base to moderates and independents, who are expected to decide the election’s outcome.

In an effort to regain momentum, the PPP is likely to intensify its attacks on Lee, capitalizing on his unresolved legal issues to fuel public dissent.

The DPK leader, who currently leads in most presidential polls, is expected to face a barrage of scrutiny over pending investigations, despite the recent acquittal.

"One way or another, today’s impeachment ruling marks the end of the good days for Yoon and his loyalists," Eom said.

With democracy, public trust and party unity hanging in the balance, Korea is now headed into one of its most pivotal and fiercely contested elections in recent history.