Decision on Party Leadership Candidacy Imminent... Eyes on Lee Nak-yeon's Words

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] As the decision time for Lee Nak-yeon, Chairman of the Democratic Party's COVID-19 National Crisis Overcoming Committee, to challenge the party leadership approaches, political attention is focused on his words. It is expected that the party leadership competition landscape will also be shaken depending on his stance.

According to political circles on the 20th, Chairman Lee is gauging internal party opinion on running for party leadership through so-called 'meal politics.' Following a lunch with those who lost in the general election on the 7th, a lunch with 13 newly elected members for whom he serves as a sponsor on the 15th, he also had lunch with 12 newly elected members from Gwangju and Jeonnam on the 18th. He is also scheduled to have a meal soon with newly elected members from the Democratic Citizens Party.

It is known that many lawmakers who met with Chairman Lee have encouraged him to run for party leadership. Since Lee's faction is relatively weak, there is an argument that he needs to use the party convention as an opportunity to expand his influence. Lee Gae-ho, a lawmaker considered a close aide to Chairman Lee, also said in a radio interview, "It would be a great strength if someone like Chairman Lee, a prominent presidential candidate after COVID-19, leads the party," adding, "It is desirable for him to challenge the party leadership."

However, concerns about Chairman Lee's candidacy for party leadership remain significant. According to the Democratic Party's regulations, the party leader must resign from the position one year before running for president. This means he could only serve as party leader for seven months, and there is public opinion that Lee may have caused unnecessary internal competition by using the party leadership as a stepping stone for the presidency. Also, the moment Chairman Lee's challenge for party leadership is confirmed, intensified checks and balances inside and outside the party could become a burden.

Meanwhile, other party leadership candidates such as Lawmaker Song Young-gil and Lawmaker Woo Won-shik are closely watching Chairman Lee's decision. If Lee decides to run, given his strong chances of winning, others may end up playing a supporting role. In particular, Lawmaker Song said, "Since Chairman Lee's decision to run has not been finalized, I am observing the situation a bit more," adding, "We plan to meet soon. We will meet and discuss to organize the details." This is interpreted as an intention to not run if Lee challenges for party leadership. Pro-Moon faction lawmaker Hong Young-pyo, who has a strong will to run for party leadership, is also reportedly closely monitoring Lee's moves.

Ultimately, it is expected that the rest of the candidates will also sort out their positions depending on whether Chairman Lee decides to run. Chairman Lee is expected to make a decision about his future stance soon. Earlier, on the 18th, regarding his candidacy for party leadership, he hinted that "dragging it out too long is not desirable," suggesting that a decision is imminent.

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