PPP leader greets Pres. Yoon at the airport

For People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, next week will be crucial as it can change his fate as a politician. The ruling People Power Party's ethics committee is scheduled to be held on next Thursday to deliberate on the allegations Lee is facing. Its’ decision on Lee’s alleged attempt to destroy the evidence of his sex scandal could not only imperil his political career but also have a huge impact on the power landscape of the ruling party.

Lee, who is facing the deliberation, appeared at the Seoul Airbase in Seongnam to greet President Yoon Suk-yeol returning from a trip to Spain for the NATO Summit. On Monday, Lee did not join others in sending Yoon off to Madrid. After President Yoon arrived in Korea from his five-day trip to Spain, he shook hands with Lee for about three seconds, smiling.

Some observers said Lee's unexpected airport reception can be interpreted as his move to win Yoon's support. They argued that it could be an attempt to address the concerns in and out of the ruling party. Since Rep. Park Seong-min of the PPP, a pro-Yoon lawmaker, stepped down as Lee's chief of staff on Thursday, it could drive Lee into a situation where “cards are staking against him.” Lee has also come into severe conflict with not only Rep. Jang Je-won, a pro-Yoon lawmaker, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, and Rep. Bae Hyun-Jin.

An official from the ruling party said that it seemed Lee tried to emphasize that there was nothing wrong between President Yoon and Lee ahead of his deliberation of the ethics committee. Meanwhile, the Office of the President earlier declined to comment on the PPP's situation involving Lee.


Dong-Joo Cho djc@donga.com