Former President Park Geun-hye appeals for support for People Power Party candidates at Namhae Chungnyeolsa in Namhae-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 29. [Yonhap]
Former President Park Geun-hye appeals for support for People Power Party candidates at Namhae Chungnyeolsa in Namhae-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 29. [Yonhap]

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik visited former President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday to thank her for her campaign support during the June 3 local elections. The meeting came as the party's approval ratings have fallen among both conservatives and voters in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region, and political observers say the visit was aimed at rallying the party's wavering traditional base.

Jeong visited Park at her private residence in Dalseong-gun, Daegu. He was accompanied by Rep. Yoon Yong-geun, chief of staff to the floor leader, and Rep. Yoo Young-ha, a close aide to Park.

The visit was arranged at Jeong's request, according to sources. Jeong, who was elected floor leader in June, conveyed his gratitude to Park for actively campaigning on behalf of PPP candidates during the June 3 local elections.

Within and outside the party, there is hope that the visit will help boost approval ratings. The PPP has kept up its offensive against the government over real estate and tax policies but has seen little political benefit. Support has instead been slipping simultaneously among voters in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region and among conservatives more broadly.

According to Realmeter, the PPP's approval rating stood at 40.6 percent in a survey of 1,001 adults aged 18 and older nationwide conducted July 23 to July 24 (margin of error ±3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level; response rate 4.3 percent). A follow-up survey of 1,004 adults conducted Aug. 13 to Aug. 14 put that figure at 33.1 percent — a third consecutive week of decline. (For further details, see the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.)

Particularly striking, the most recent survey showed support in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region plunging 20.3 percentage points from the previous week, while backing among conservatives fell 10.2 percentage points. Realmeter said the party had mounted a critical offensive over confusion surrounding the government's real estate and tax reform proposals but failed to translate that into meaningful gains. "Instead, intensifying intraparty conflict appears to have dampened support, weakening the party's standing among both conservatives and its regional base," the pollster said.

The party leadership is also showing signs of alarm over the ratings slide and moving to regroup. On Monday, Jeong met with three-term lawmakers from within the party at an undisclosed location in Seoul to discuss pressing issues. Those present were said to have reached a consensus that the party must rally behind Jeong and work to overcome its current difficulties.

Meanwhile, PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok is preparing a reform plan centered on putting party members at the core of the organization. The party is also pursuing a broader restructuring — re-electing district committee chairs through its special committee on organizational strengthening and launching a task force to overhaul the evaluation of elected officials.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com