Rep. Yun Jae-ok elected new floor leader of People Power Party

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, a third-term lawmaker, was elected as the new floor leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Friday.

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, center, cheers after he is elected as the new floor leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Friday. [NEWS1]

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, a third-term lawmaker, was elected as the new floor leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Friday.

In a two-way race during the PPP's general assembly, Yun defeated Rep. Kim Hack-yong, a fourth-term lawmaker, winning 65 votes out of 109.

Both lawmakers are considered allies of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Rep. Yun, a policeman-turned-lawmaker from Daegu, served then PPP presidential candidate Yoon as the head of the situation office at the party's election campaign committee. Thus, Yun is expected to be able to serve as a strong messenger between the president and the PPP.

Yun will take over from Rep. Joo Ho-young to serve as floor leader for a one-year term, meaning he will be responsible for guiding the party to next year's general election, alongside the PPP's new chairman, Kim Gi-hyeon.

Yun is a representative of the so-called TK region, referring to the Daegu and North Gyeongsang area, which is a conservative stronghold.

He is known for graduating first of his class at the Korean National Police University, and held key positions such as the head of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency and the head of the National Police Agency's intelligence bureau.

As a lawmaker, he served in positions such as chair of the National Assembly's foreign affairs and unification committee.

He has a reputation for successfully negotiating with Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers behind the scenes, including during a testy period forming a special counsel probe into an online opinion rigging scandal in 2018 involving a power blogger known as Druking accused of trying to sway the results of the 2017 presidential elections. Yun served as deputy floor leader from 2018 to 2019 and grew a reputation for being calm and meticulous.

While Yun is labeled as a Yoon ally, party members also expected to be able to represent the broader PPP based on his various experiences.

"I will seek wisdom from all lawmakers," said Yun. "Please do not hesitate to reprimand and advise me. I will humbly listen. As in the last presidential election, if we all unite our minds, we can overcome any difficulties."

Yun will also have to find ways to work with the liberal DP, which holds 169 out of 299 parliamentary seats, compared to the PPP's 115 seats.

"I will restore public trust by preventing the runaway of power of the majority party," said Yun.

He will also be tasked with trying to raise the approval rating of the PPP, especially by appealing to the younger MZ generation.

"I will win next year's general election together with you and complete the transition of the administration to open the road to a new Republic of Korea," he also said.

"If we all unite our hearts as we did in the last presidential election, we will be able to overcome any difficulties," said Yun. "Through restoring people's trust and support, I believe that we can achieve the success of the Yoon Suk Yeol government."

Last month, the PPP elected Kim Gi-hyeon, a fourth-term lawmaker and former Ulsan mayor, as its new chairman. Kim is also considered Yoon's ally, as the president seeks to strengthen his grip on the PPP ahead of the general elections next year.

The PPP didn't fare so well in Wednesday's nationwide by-elections, where nine spots were up for grabs including a parliamentary seat for the Jeonju-B district in North Jeolla Province, the head of Changnyeong County in South Gyeongsang and the educational superintendent in Ulsan.

The April 5 by-elections had a low voting turnout of 27.2 percent, or 355,923 out of 1,309,677 eligible voters, according to the National Election Commission.

The PPP faced a series of defeats, including for the Ulsan education superintendent spot, won by the DP's candidate, despite the new PPP chief being the city's former mayor.

Rep. Yun Jae-ok gives an address after he is elected as the new floor leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Friday. [NEWS1]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]