A YouTuber considered a close associate of People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok proposed hanging photos of former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Yoon Suk-yeol at the PPP headquarters. He claimed, “The former president achieved a historic grand compromise that led to democratization with almost no bloodshed.”
There has been a certain level of national consensus on the evaluation of Chun. He seized power through a military coup and brutally suppressed the the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, which resisted this. In the process, numerous citizens died. Although he accepted the direct presidential election system reform at the end of his term, everyone knows that this was also a result of numerous citizens risking their lives to demand democratization.
Yoon was the first in 30 years since Chun to receive a death penalty request in the first trial on charges of leading an insurrection. Martial law, which was thought to be a relic of the military government era, was suddenly declared, leading to the president’s impeachment and removal from office, shocking many citizens and tarnishing the nation’s dignity. His wife was also found guilty in the first trial on charges of receiving luxury bags and necklaces from the Unification Church.
Posted by Freewhale98
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1. Summary
The People Power Party (PPP) is openly rehabilitating Chun Doo-hwan’s legacy and purging moderates as its approval rating collapses toward the 20% threshold, while the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) remains above 40%.
PPP leadership has reportedly discussed displaying Chun’s portrait at party headquarters and revising its manifesto to emphasize Cold War–era rhetoric such as “anti-communism,” “industrialization,” and “liberal democracy.” This shift comes as the DPK expands its appeal among traditionally conservative voter blocs, with recent Gallup polling indicating that roughly one-quarter of former conservative voters have defected to the DPK.
Rather than responding to this erosion of support, PPP leadership appears increasingly insulated, relying heavily on conspiracy-oriented YouTubers and extremist evangelical networks. Party chair Jang Dong-hyeok has reportedly narrowed his advisory circle to these groups, accelerating the party’s ideological hardening and detachment from mainstream public opinion.
2. How This Relates to the Sub
(1) Online Radicalization
This is another example of elite-level online radicalization playing out in real time.
South Korea has already seen how prolonged immersion in conspiracy-driven media ecosystems can distort political judgment. Former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s political collapse illustrated how excessive reliance on fringe YouTube narratives can sever leaders from empirical reality and public sentiment. New PPP chair now appears to be repeating this pattern.
3. My Opinion
The PPP went insane.
Moderate figures such as Han Dong-hoon have been systematically purged, while the party is increasingly dominated by MAGA LARPers, infiltrators from cults such as Moonies, and extremist evangelical activists. What is most alarming is that declining public support is not acting as a corrective mechanism.
Instead, party leadership appears to believe in apocalyptic narratives such as a so-called “Second Foundation War,” including conspiratorial claims that Trump administration would invade Korea, purge all leftists, and install a far-right military junta, prophecies actively promoted by fringe pastors and conspiracy YouTubers.