Democratic Party National Convention D-1... 'Disaster Relief Funds, COVID-19, Real Estate' Full of Challenges

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kang Nahum and Won Dara] The Democratic Party's national convention to elect new leadership is just one day away. Attention is focused on whether it will be 'Eodaenak (Anyway, the party leader is Lee Nak-yeon)' or a last-minute upset, but regardless of who takes the party leadership, a host of challenges await, making it a thorny path from the start.

According to the Democratic Party on the 28th, this convention held at the party headquarters will minimize on-site personnel and proceed through recorded congratulatory speeches. The key question is how much candidates Kim Bu-gyeom and Park Jumin can overcome the prevailing momentum.

At the MBC debate the day before, the candidates clashed over disaster relief funds, which have emerged as a major political issue. Candidate Lee emphasized, as previously stated, that "the scale of disaster differs for each person," while candidate Kim stressed the 'urgency,' criticizing Lee by saying, "It seems he is conscious of the burden that someone responsible for state affairs should not make promises too easily to the public." Candidate Park also pointed out, "If timeliness is lost, the complex economic cycle will be broken, and it will cost more to restore economic conditions."

In this confrontational dynamic, it is expected that whoever takes the party leadership will face significant difficulties in resolving various political issues. The economic crisis is deepening due to the resurgence of COVID-19, and real estate issues remain a source of public unease.

Additionally, the new leader must lead the by-elections for Seoul and Busan mayors scheduled for April next year. Another task for the new leader is to prevent a lame-duck phenomenon caused by the declining approval ratings of the president and the ruling party.

Coordination with the Supreme Council members is also important. Candidate Yang Hyang-ja has been confirmed as the female quota member of the Supreme Council, while seven candidates?Kim Jong-min, Noh Woong-rae, So Byung-hoon, Shin Dong-geun, Yeom Tae-young, Lee Won-wook, and Han Byung-do?are competing for the remaining four seats. Since these candidates express diverse opinions on various issues, the key will be to effectively mediate and harmonize these views. Furthermore, amid criticism of the ruling party's dominance, how to achieve cooperation with the opposition is another unavoidable challenge.

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