The Minjoo Party Draws a Line Against Open Minjoo... Heated Vote Competition in the Ruling Camp

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] As the Democratic Party of Korea draws a line against the Open Democratic Party, competition for proportional representation votes within the progressive camp has intensified. With the ruling party's support base inevitably engaged in a 'zero-sum game' and the 'Cho Kuk' issue overlapping, the possibility of election alliances and cooperation between the two sides is becoming increasingly distant.

On the 23rd, Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan dismissed the possibility of integration with the Open Democratic Party in an interview with tbs radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' saying, "We proposed participation in the Civic Party, but they refused and decided to run independently."

He added, "Since they originally intended to run independently, we will have to form a political alliance after the election, but that is not a simple matter," and predicted, "If they merge after the general election, their existence itself would be lost. Then they will try to run independently."

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 18th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Yoon Ho-jung, the Democratic Party's Secretary-General, also said at a press briefing the day before, "The Open Democratic Party is conducting a highly inappropriate party formation and candidate nomination process," calling it "a challenge to our party's nomination process." He continued, "Especially, some people who were judged ineligible or who declared their withdrawal before the judgment in our party's nomination process are included in their preliminary candidate list. It is very regrettable."

This effectively drew a line against the Open Democratic Party, which had presented itself as a 'brother party' to the Democratic Party. Some interpret this as the Democratic Party feeling the burden of being entangled again in the 'Cho Kuk frame' ahead of the general election.

The Open Democratic Party recently formed its proportional representation candidate lineup with well-known figures from the ruling camp and began assigning proportional order. Notable among them are Hwang Hee-seok, former Director of the Human Rights Bureau at the Ministry of Justice and head of the Prosecution Reform Promotion Support Group, and Choi Kang-wook, former Blue House Secretary for Public Office Discipline, who was indicted by the prosecution for issuing a false internship confirmation letter to the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, former Director Hwang posted on his Facebook the day before, "Based on the database and experience I have accumulated through tracking, and information provided by others, I am disclosing for the first time the list of the 2019 prosecution-led state power abuse group and the group that staged a prosecution coup," revealing the names of 14 current high-ranking prosecution officials, including Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute Yoon Dae-jin.

On the same day, he mentioned former Minister Cho on Facebook, writing, "'Cho,' who suffered unjust sacrifice, will he restore his honor and face a new destiny? There is no correct answer. The April 15 general election will decide. I roughly see the answer, though."

Former Secretary Choi also supported former Director Hwang's claims at the Open Democratic Party's proportional representation candidate press conference held the day before, saying, "If the prosecution is not subject to democratic control, it arbitrarily destroys everyday life."

For the Democratic Party, which is trying to break away from the 'Cho Kuk frame' to capture the centrist vote, the Open Democratic Party's emphasis on the 'Cho Kuk' issue is inevitably a burden.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Another concern of the Democratic Party regarding the Open Democratic Party is 'vote splitting.' Previously, the Democratic Party promised to place its candidates after number 10 on the Civic Party's list. In other words, the range of proportional representatives elected from the Democratic Party depends on how much of the Civic Party's support the Open Democratic Party takes.

Amid the recent rise of the Open Democratic Party, proportional representation candidates affiliated with the Democratic Party have also expressed anxiety. Kim Hong-gul, the representative standing chairman of the National Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, who was assigned number 4 on the Democratic Party's proportional list, said, "In the reality where the Open Democratic Party is leading with clear pro-Moon Jae-in figures, minor parties and citizen-recommended candidates cannot unite Democratic Party members and supporters," and insisted, "Verified Democratic Party proportional candidates must be placed at the forefront."

The Civic Party plans to decide the order of proportional candidates on the 24th. If the demands of the proportional candidates formerly affiliated with the Democratic Party are realized, conflicts with minor parties that joined the Civic Party on the promise of front-order proportional representation are expected to be inevitable.

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