(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on April 15)

Opposing Lee Jae-myung alone won't win the presidency

The People Power Party (PPP) has entered the presidential race in earnest, closing candidate registration and preparing to announce the shortlist of contenders. Its campaign slogan, "The economy is the People Power Party," signals a focus on economic revival. But behind the official messaging, a different slogan seems to dominate the race: Stop Lee Jae-myung.

From the outset, PPP candidates have centered their campaigns not on their own leadership visions, but on preventing a Democratic Party (DP) victory. Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo cast himself as a cleanhanded alternative to Lee, who is currently facing trial on multiple charges. Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo framed the race as a battle to hold Lee accountable following the Constitutional Court's decision to impeach former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Han Dong-hoon, the party's former leader, warned against what he called the rise of a "dangerous man" who could usher in a "monstrous administration."

This relentless anti-Lee rhetoric is loud, but not persuasive. While the PPP is clear on what it opposes, it offers little clarity on what it stands for. Its policy ideas often rehash existing proposals or appear hastily assembled. Voters looking for a compelling alternative to the DP find little substance beyond attack lines.

The party's refusal to reflect on its own recent history compounds the problem. Even before the martial law scandal and impeachment, Yoon's approval ratings had sunk to the low 20 percent range. That alone should have prompted internal reckoning. Yet instead of charting a new course, the PPP chose to defend Yoon at all costs, further alienating moderates and narrowing its political base.

Now, the party finds itself in an awkward limbo — unsure how to handle its relationship with the impeached president, while still unwilling to confront the failures of his administration. Voters have not forgotten controversial policies such as the attempt to expand medical school quotas, the heavy cuts to the research and development budget and the unpopular proposal of a 69-hour workweek. If the PPP is serious about governing again, it must provide credible solutions to these issues — not just change the packaging.

To win the presidency, the PPP needs more than anti-Lee sentiment. It needs vision, accountability and a firm break from the past. Without that, no candidate — regardless of name recognition or ideological purity — will have a real shot in the election.

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