Lee Nak-yeon, Consecutive Power Expansion... Subtle Ripples Within the Party

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Ahead of the Democratic Party of Korea's party leadership election scheduled for August, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon is continuously expanding his influence. While this is widely seen as a preliminary move for a party leadership bid, subtle ripples are also being detected among lawmakers who had considered running for party leader.

On the 15th, Lee Nak-yeon had lunch with about 20 first- and second-term lawmakers elected in the 21st general election in Yeouido, and on the 18th, he dined with lawmakers elected from the Honam region. These consecutive meetings by Lee were viewed as an aggressive campaign for the party leadership.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After the lunch on the 18th, Lee told reporters, "I have not yet decided whether to run for party leader, but I will listen to more opinions inside and outside the party." He added, "Dragging it out too long causes uncertainty, which is undesirable. I will make a decision."

Lee's recent actions have caused subtle ripples within the party. This sentiment is especially felt among senior lawmakers who had considered running for party leader. If Lee, a strong presidential candidate, decides to challenge for the party leadership, the primary election could become a burden for the lawmakers. Currently, the leading candidates for the party leadership include lawmakers Song Young-gil, Woo Won-shik, and Hong Young-pyo.

On the 19th, Song appeared on CBS Radio and said, "Since Lee Nak-yeon's candidacy is not yet confirmed, I am watching the situation a bit more." He added, "I have arranged to meet Lee Nak-yeon. I plan to discuss and organize the details together." He also said, "In any case, I think we must respect the various decisions of Lee Nak-yeon, who is highly trusted within the Democratic Party." This suggests that the direction of the party leadership race may change depending on Lee's decision.

On the other hand, Lee Gae-ho, a close aide of Lee Nak-yeon and a Democratic Party lawmaker, dismissed the possibility of Lee running for party leader, saying, "He is more interested in national issues than party leadership." On MBC Radio that day, Lee Gae-ho said, "I understand that Lee Nak-yeon is not very interested in party leadership," and added, "His focus is not on party leadership but on national tasks and pressing current issues." However, he emphasized, "Many around him suggest that it is realistically necessary for someone to take the party leadership and lead the party, so he is considering it, but he is mainly interested in studying and expanding his connections with lawmakers."

Lee Nak-yeon himself is also deeply contemplating. Even if he wins the party leadership election in August, his term would last only until March next year, just seven months. According to the Democratic Party's constitution and regulations, a party leader must step down at least one year before a presidential election to run for president.

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