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| Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl bids farewell to his staff after announcing his resignation at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
The resignation of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Thursday, has rattled the opposition bloc by raising the possibility of him turning to politics and a possible run in the 2022 presidential election.
Yoon has yet to make any comment about a bid for the presidency, but has emerged as a clear frontrunner for the opposition in presidential election surveys after confronting President Moon Jae-in over his prosecutorial reform efforts.
The opposition parties are letting Yoon know that he is welcome to join them, implicitly expressing the hope that his political debut could trigger an overhaul of the power structure in their favor.
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Yoon and ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Nak-yon are neck-and-neck for the runner-up spot in multiple presidential election surveys, trailing Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung ― also a DPK member ― who has consolidated his lead in recent weeks.
"I think Yoon's resignation has been carefully calculated in the lead-up to the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan," said Eom Kyeong-young, director of the Zeitgeist Institute, a private political think tank.
Eom viewed that a possible defeat of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) in the April 7 by-elections could stir up "unprecedented chaos that raises the need to create a completely new party."
"And this is where Yoon can come in and take the initiative against the ruling bloc," Eom explained.
Against this backdrop, minor opposition People's Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo hinted at the possibility of joining hands with Yoon. Also a Seoul mayoral candidate, Ahn is the frontrunner for a unified opposition candidate to take on the DPK's Park Young-sun.
"I see the decision made by Yoon (to resign) as an appeal to expose the government's injustice to the people," Ahn commented on Facebook. "The opposition will win on April 7, and this will be a catalyst for the people's action that will fuel a change in government next year."
People's Party floor leader Kwon Eun-hee said the party has not officially decided whether to recruit Yoon, but is "ready to help him to faithfully fulfill his role and responsibility."
The PPP leadership also showed interest in recruiting Yoon.
Hours after his resignation, interim Chairman Kim Chong-in said he would meet with him "when the time comes."
PPP floor leader Joo Ho-young said, "The party, if necessary, will join forces with Yoon in its endeavor to safeguard the Constitution and rule of law."
"We ask Yoon not to yield (before the government) as he has done until now for the future of the Republic of Korea," Joo added.
Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said Yoon's possible political debut could shake up the power structure in the ruling party as well.
The professor noted that both Yoon and DPK Chairman Lee are viewed as center-rightists by voters.
"This means they may have an overlapping supporters' base and therefore the DPK may have to find another presidential candidate other than Lee, notably a pro-Moon Jae-in figure, to make a clear distinction from Yoon," Shin said.
Some analysts pointed out that Yoon's lack of political experience and the fact that he is not popular among ultra conservatives could hamper a possible bid for the presidency.
Yoon was formerly considered to be Moon's choice to lead political reform, because he led the investigations against ousted President Park Geun-hye who is still respected by ultra-right conservatives.
