Democratic Party Leadership Candidates Move, Lee Nak-yeon to Announce Candidacy on the 7th... Possibility of Unification

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Nak-yeon attended the National Assembly Health and Welfare Forum held at the National Assembly on the 1st and gave a lecture on the topic "The Path to South Korea's Rebound After the COVID-19 Crisis." Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Lee Nak-yeon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is expected to officially announce his candidacy for party leader on the 7th. Declarations of candidacy from Hong Young-pyo, Kim Boo-kyum, and Woo Won-shik, who had earlier expressed their intentions to run, are also expected to follow. Some speculate the possibility of unification among these three candidates. The party convention to elect the next Democratic Party leader will be held on August 29.

On the morning of the 1st, after attending the Global Health and Welfare Forum seminar at the National Assembly, Lee told reporters when asked about his candidacy for the party convention, "If the situation remains as it is, I will announce my decision around the 7th." He also revealed his specific vision for the party leadership. Lee emphasized, "I have been thinking about responsible responses to the national crisis," adding, "How to respond to the national crisis and what role the unprecedentedly large ruling party will play will be the two main pillars."

Lee, who had been reserved about the party convention, is believed to have disclosed the specific schedule because he judged that the National Assembly situation, including the formation of committees and the convening of standing committees, had been settled under the ruling party's leadership. Accordingly, Hong Young-pyo, Kim Boo-kyum, and Woo Won-shik are also expected to soon announce their related positions. Previously, Hong had announced on the 29th of last month that he would hold a related press conference but later canceled it.

In political circles, Lee's momentum is considered strong for now, but there are also views that the outcome could be unpredictable if the other three candidates unify. Both Hong and Woo belong to the Democratic Peace People's Alliance (Minpyeongryeon), the mainstream faction within the Democratic Party, while former member Kim Boo-kyum symbolizes the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region, where the Democratic Party suffered a significant defeat in the recent general election. In particular, Kim has taken a firm stance on not running for president and has begun courting the pro-Moon Jae-in (Chinmun) voter base. Um Kyung-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, said, "If unification occurs, it will likely be around the second week of August," adding, "If unification happens, Lee's overwhelming victory cannot be guaranteed."

The candidates for party leader are focusing their campaigns on senior lawmakers. While first-term lawmakers are usually targeted in floor leader elections, in party leader elections, senior lawmakers who lead factions are considered key. Hong met with senior lawmakers at the National Assembly the previous morning. Lee held a dinner meeting in the afternoon at a restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, with National Assembly Deputy Speaker Kim Sang-hee and lawmakers No Woong-rae, Kim Jin-pyo, Ahn Min-seok, and Jung Sung-ho. Oh Ki-hyung, a close aide to Hong, told Asia Economy in a phone interview that "Hong frequently meets with lawmakers." Lawmaker No Woong-rae, who arranged the dinner between Lee and senior lawmakers, downplayed the significance, saying, "It was just a chance to see each other and have dinner."

Meanwhile, on the 30th of last month, the Democratic Party passed an amendment to the party constitution separating the terms of the party leader and the Supreme Council members, who had been running mates. The previous party constitution required the party leader to resign one year before the presidential election, and all Supreme Council members had to resign mid-term, which was a burden for Lee, a leading presidential candidate. According to the amended party constitution, even if the party leader cannot complete the term due to running for president or other reasons, the Supreme Council members will serve out the remainder of their terms. Jang Cheol-min, spokesperson for the Democratic Party Convention Preparation Committee, said at a press conference, "There were some disagreements among members regarding the amendment, but it was decided because it could not be delayed any longer," adding, "There was much discussion about doing this while considering the party's future."

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