Yu Seung-min calls on People Power Party to end impeachment feud, pursue unity ahead of 2028 vote

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yu Seung-min urged his party Sunday to end its internal divisions over the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and pursue "unity and reform" to win the 2028 general election.

Writing on Facebook, Yu said "the only way to stop the tyranny of the Lee Jae Myung administration is to win a majority in the April 2028 general election and reclaim the National Assembly," adding that the People Power Party must "advance along the path of unity and reform" to achieve that goal.

Yu made the remarks in the context of the ruling Democratic Party's push to abolish the supplementary investigative authority of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, a move the PPP attempted to block through a filibuster. "Our party's lawmakers tried hard by launching a filibuster, but I was once again left feeling the helplessness of being in the opposition — thinking, 'What is the point of a filibuster that ends in just 24 hours?'" he wrote.

He went on to say that "only by retaking the Assembly can we correct the bad laws the Democratic Party rammed through by abusing its majority since 2016, and block the tyranny of the Lee Jae Myung administration," and warned that "if either unity or reform fails, we cannot beat the Democratic Party in the general election."

On unity, Yu said the party's internal fighting made no sense given the absence of any fundamental divide. "It's not as if there are some great differences among us in political philosophy, policy or party direction — yet we are fighting as if we were mortal enemies, solely because some supported the impeachment and others opposed it. How can conservatives ever become one team like this?" he said.

The remarks were interpreted as a call to overcome the factional rift that split the party along the lines of where members stood during the impeachment proceedings against former President Yoon.

Yu urged his colleagues to "stop turning away from the truth that fighting internally over the impeachment is exactly what the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party want most — and therefore the most serious act of betrayal against the party — and wake up."

Turning to reform, Yu said the party must "pursue genuine reform" to win the support of what he called the "Jungsujeong" bloc — moderate voters, greater Seoul area residents and young people. "We can never win the general election if we cannot win in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, where 122 seats are at stake," he said.

He cited recent polling showing the Democratic Party's approval rating at double that of the PPP and the party's support among moderates lagging badly, saying, "This is no time to be deluded into thinking we've already won because we took the Seoul mayoral race in the local elections."

Yu also questioned why the PPP's performance remained so weak despite a cascade of crises under the current administration. "A real estate crisis, a stock market crisis, a revision to the criminal procedure code, a constitutional amendment to allow presidential re-election, record youth unemployment, small-business bankruptcies, high inflation, deepening inequality and security anxieties — the Lee Jae Myung administration is running amok without end, yet this is all the People Power Party has to show for it. What does that tell us?" he wrote.

He added that "the courage is needed to squarely face the plain truth: without unity and reform that win the hearts of moderates and conservatives alike, there is no hope in the next general election or the presidential race."