[Politics, That Day...] Proportional Representation No. 2 'Self-Nomination' Kim Jong-in, the Question Mark of the Mysterious General Election

Ahead of the 20s General Election Candidate Registration, Democratic Party Turmoil... Democratic Party's Party Vote Share in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon Falls Behind People Party

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] ‘Politics, That Day...’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to noteworthy scenes, events, and figures.

"I am not someone who pursues proportional representation, and I am only doing it because it is necessary to help them. If they say it's unnecessary, then I won't do it." This was said by Kim Jong-in, then leader of the Emergency Committee of the Democratic Party, in an interview with Yonhap News on March 20, 2016.

The Democratic Party was caught in turmoil just before the registration of candidates for the 20th general election. Criticism continued inside and outside the political circle over whether it was appropriate for Kim Jong-in, who led the Emergency Committee system, to be placed second on the proportional representation list.

In a situation where the leader's name was placed at the highest position among male proportional representation candidates, he made this claim in a media interview: "In the past, under former President Kim Dae-jung, it was better not to engage in politics that sought sympathy by placing names at the bottom of the list."

As the leader responsible for the election, his logic was to boldly receive the top spot on the proportional representation list and seek voters' choice. In the past, during the party’s ‘Chongjae’ era, it was true that prominent politicians symbolizing the party led elections by receiving the top spot on the proportional representation list.

Kim Jong-in. Photo by Asia Economy DB

However, he also proposed a completely opposite strategy. This involved placing a leader-level figure in an uncertain winning position on the proportional representation (national) list to increase the party’s proportional vote share. The strategy was to ask voters to choose so that even lower-ranked proportional candidates would be elected, thereby ensuring the party’s flagship politician entered the assembly.

When Kim Jong-in placed his own name at number two on the proportional list, the Democratic Party’s Central Committee did not finalize the candidate list, causing ongoing difficulties. Eventually, Kim Jong-in took a firm stance with refusal to perform party duties and controversy over his position. At the time of candidate registration for the 20th general election, the party was in internal conflict.

In the end, members of the Democratic Party’s Emergency Committee visited Kim Jong-in’s residence and persuaded him to return to party duties, gradually untangling the knot. On March 23, 2016, Kim Jong-in held a press conference and stated, "After much consideration, I decided to remain in this party."

For a party leader to resign just before an election is a major adverse event that could lead to election defeat. Kim Jong-in said, "If I insisted only on my position and left the party in this situation, with only about 20 days left before the election, I felt a certain responsibility for what might unfold."

The controversial ‘Kim Jong-in at proportional number 2’ card was ultimately maintained. Although the conflict was resolved after many twists and turns, the controversy did not completely disappear. Kim Jong-in launched various gambits to change the party’s nature, but his actions also led to backlash from traditional Democratic Party supporters.

Looking only at the results of the 20th general election, the Democratic Party unexpectedly became the largest party in the National Assembly, but a closer examination raises questions. The Democratic Party rose to the top party in the assembly based on a landslide victory in the metropolitan area constituencies but could not avoid a crushing defeat in its political stronghold, Honam.

Another question remaining from the 20th general election was the proportional representation party vote share.

The Democratic Party suffered a bitter taste in the metropolitan area party vote, where regional characteristics are relatively less pronounced, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon. Seoul recorded 25.93%, Gyeonggi 26.83%, and Incheon 25.43%. This contrasts with the Saenuri Party’s party support rate in the 30% range across all these regions.

More shocking was that the Democratic Party ranked third in party vote share in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon. The People’s Party maintained superiority over the Democratic Party not only in Honam but also in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon. In fact, it is almost a mystery that the Democratic Party became the largest party in the assembly under these circumstances. The Saenuri Party lost an election it could not afford to lose.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.