YOON MENTIONS RULING PARTY

[Anchor Lead]

PPP presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl says the upcoming presidential election will be about fighting against corruption with the mastermind of the Daejang-dong scandal. The creation of a party election committee and the exodus of party members in their 20s and 30s present challenges to Yoon.

[Pkg]

Yoon Seok-youl has visited the National Assembly for the first time as the presidential candidate of the main opposition, the People Power Party. In a meeting with the party leadership and lawmakers, he attacked his Democratic Party rival, Lee Jae-myung.

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "This election is about fighting against the mastermind of ‘Daejang-dong Gate.’"

Yoon has appointed Rep. Kwon Seong-dong, his longtime friend, as his chief secretary. He vowed, however, not to select only from his camp to form the election committee, in an apparent reference to how President Moon Jae-in chose his close aides for his election committee when he was running for office.

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "When you resort to a minority of aides as your election camp members, like the Moon Jae-in team or the Roh Moo-hyun team, they seize power when their candidate is elected president."

The PPP members are at odds over how the election committee should be formed. Kim Chong-in, a viable candidate to head the committee, is calling for Yoon's cold-headed judgment, as many in his camp seem to be eyeing a spot. PPP chairman Lee Jun-seok is endorsing Kim's demand to re-organize the committee. Lee says the existing camp members should give way to others as a precondition for Kim to join. Some even described the process as a "power struggle. Creating a unified team is also a challenge.
Rep. Hong Joon-pyo has denied vehemently his willingness to join the PPP election committee.

[Soundbite] Rep. Hong Joon-pyo(People Power Party) : "I don't want to be part of a corrupt election. It's aside from the spirit of unity."

An estimated three thousand members have left the PPP since Yoon's win as its presidential candidate. About 70 percent of them are reportedly in their 20s and 30s.