Jang Dong-hyeok, chief of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a meeting of the party's Supreme Council at the National Assembly, a day after he called for a new election over an unprecedented shortage of ballot papers that disrupted voting in the 03 June local elections at some polling stations in the capital's southern areas, in Seoul, South Korea, 08 June 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
July 8 (Asia Today) -- People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok is moving into street politics over the June 3 ballot shortage while also using the party's ethics process to discipline internal critics, a strategy some see as an effort to consolidate support among the party's hard-line base.
Jang attended a rally in Incheon on Wednesday condemning the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, beginning what is expected to be a series of visits to voting rights protests across the country.
It was his first appearance at a protest outside Seoul's Songpa District, where demonstrations have continued for more than a month near Olympic Park.
Some party officials and political observers say Jang appears to be using street rallies to rally conservative supporters and push back against calls for his resignation. They say he is trying to regain political momentum by focusing on the ballot shortage and voting rights rather than internal power struggles.