Pro-Choen Faction, Lee Nak-yeon, Park Won-soon, Lee Jae-myung... Democratic Party Presidential Race Competition

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kwang-jae Lee, Chief Election Commissioner of the Democratic Party of Korea in Gangwon Province / Wonju = Photo by Dong-joo Yoon doso7@

Kim Du-gwan, the Democratic Party candidate running in Yangsan-si (Eul), Gyeongnam, is greeting citizens in the Deokgye-ro area of Yangsan, Gyeongnam on the 3rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju, Yangsan, Gyeongnam doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] With a large number of former Blue House officials elected in the 21st general election, the Democratic Party of Korea's pro-Moon Jae-in (pro-Moon) faction has become even stronger. Many close aides of the most prominent presidential candidates, Lee Nak-yeon, chairman of the Democratic Party's COVID-19 National Crisis Response Committee, Park Won-soon, mayor of Seoul, and Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, have also entered the National Assembly. Potential presidential candidates include pro-Moon core figures such as former Gangwon Governor Lee Kwang-jae, who has returned, and Kim Du-kwan, who was elected after moving to the challenging district of Gyeongnam. Attention is focused on the competitive dynamics among factions centered around pro-Moon looking toward the presidential election. It is a structure where the 'one-top' Lee Nak-yeon system coexists with returning pro-Moon and pro-Roh (pro-Roh Moo-hyun) figures, as well as the Park Won-soon and Lee Jae-myung factions.

Nineteen individuals from the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House were elected. These include former Blue House National Situation Room Chief Yoon Gun-young, former Public Communication Secretary Yoon Young-chan, former Political Affairs Secretary Han Byung-do, former Job Secretary Jeong Tae-ho, former Civil Society Secretary Lee Yong-seon, and former spokesperson Ko Min-jung.

Senior lawmakers considered core pro-Moon figures, such as Kim Tae-nyeon, Jeon Hae-cheol, and Yoon Ho-jung, also succeeded in returning and are mentioned as strong candidates for floor leader. The leadership and prominent first-term lawmakers could all be filled with pro-Moon figures. President Moon Jae-in's approval ratings are soaring, which is expected to further strengthen their position.

Among Lee Nak-yeon's close aides, Lee Gae-ho won a third term in Honam, and Oh Young-hoon was re-elected in Jeju. However, former Prime Minister Secretary-General Bae Jae-jung and former Civil Affairs Office Chief Lee Sang-sik suffered defeats.

Although Chairman Lee maintains an unshakable first place in presidential candidate opinion polls, he is evaluated as having a weak base within the party. There are also concerns that, being from Honam, he may face difficulties expanding his support to the Yeongnam region. In a pre-election interview with a media outlet, he said, "My weakness is that I did not join the majority party (Uri Party) in the past and remained in the minority party (Democratic Party), so I have been a minority until now, and I am not accustomed to associating closely with politicians." This highlights the growing interest in his relationship with the pro-Moon faction. However, by supporting nationwide campaigns during the general election period, he may have established new links with the pro-Moon faction, which could become a new stepping stone.

The 'Park Won-soon faction' made significant advances. Former Seoul Mayor Chief Secretary Cheon Jun-ho, former Seoul Deputy Mayor for Administration Yoon Jun-byung, former Seoul Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs Kim Won-i and Jin Seong-jun, and former Seoul Political Affairs Secretary Heo Young were elected. Among incumbent lawmakers, Park Hong-geun, Ki Dong-min, and Nam In-soon won. Among those close to Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province, Jeong Seong-ho won a fourth term, and Kim Young-jin also succeeded.

In addition, there are quite a few so-called 'dark horse' figures in the ruling party. Former Governor Lee Kwang-jae, known as 'Roh Moo-hyun's man,' lost his governorship in 2011 due to allegations of political fund bribery but ran in the Gangwon region after nine years and entered the National Assembly. Serving as co-chairman of the Gangwon regional election committee, he succeeded in expanding the region's seats from one to three. He has established himself as a new 'leader' in the strongly conservative Gangwon region. Accordingly, attention is focused on whether he will strengthen the 'role theory' riding on the pro-Moon faction.

Lawmaker Kim Du-kwan, responding to the party leadership's request to become a focal point for the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (PK) elections, left his current district of Gimpo Gap in Gyeonggi Province and challenged Yangsan City Eul in Gyeongnam, winning a narrow victory. However, the number of seats in the PK region fell short at seven compared to the current ten seats, making it difficult to receive a generous evaluation. Nevertheless, accepting the party's request and taking the lead in targeting the PK region is a factor that could give wings to his future political career. The blame for the defeat in the PK region cannot be placed solely on Lawmaker Kim.

The role of former Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok is also noteworthy. Lim made a surprise appearance in this general election, campaigning for Democratic Party candidates such as Ko Min-jung, who had a close race with former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. After declaring he would not run in the general election and stepping back from politics, he campaigned without an official title at the request of the party leadership. Therefore, he is evaluated as having potential as a presidential candidate, including for the upcoming Seoul mayoral election.

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