Who is the 'Post Sim Sang-jung'... Justice Party Leadership Race Begins

Registration for Justice Party Leader Candidates Begins
Kim Jong-min, Kim Jong-chul, Bae Jin-kyo, Park Chang-jin Running

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The Justice Party is set to elect a new leadership to overcome internal and external conflicts and crises. The Justice Party will begin candidate registration for party leader on the 9th and will elect a new party leader on the 27th.

Prior to this, the Justice Party held a party caucus at the National Assembly on the same day and unanimously appointed Representative Kang Eun-mi as floor leader. Representative Jang Hye-young was elected as senior deputy floor leader and floor spokesperson.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this party leader election, Vice Leader Kim Jong-min, Senior Spokesperson Kim Jong-chul, Special Committee Chair for Eradicating Power Abuse Park Chang-jin, and former floor leader Bae Jin-kyo have thrown their hats into the ring. The four candidates aimed to strengthen the party’s identity as a progressive party.

Kim Jong-chul, senior spokesperson and the last chief secretary to the late floor leader Roh Hoe-chan, stated in his candidacy speech, "We must reflect on whether progressive politics has censored itself and failed to speak out, and whether there are reform tasks we have neglected." He pledged a "Justice Party that can do anything" and a "Justice Party without taboos." He clarified the party’s identity by saying, "We will clearly establish ourselves as a labor-centered mass party and a party for the socially vulnerable and minorities."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Bae, the former floor leader who resigned from his position upon declaring his candidacy for party leader, mentioned on MBC Radio’s 'Kim Jong-bae’s Focus' on the 7th that the values for the next decade of a new progressive party are labor, climate crisis, and gender. Vice Leader Kim, with experience running in seven elections, also stated, "We must clearly and distinctly communicate our stance on fairness, the climate crisis, and gender issues." Chair Park viewed socio-economic reforms such as real estate issues and youth politics as important values.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Setting the relationship with the ruling Democratic Party has also emerged as a crucial task. The Justice Party has faced conflicts both internally and externally through events such as the confirmation hearing of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and the proportional representation coalition party situation. All candidates agreed on the need to break away from the criticism of being the "Democratic Party’s second fiddle" and to firmly establish the Justice Party’s independent path.

Former floor leader Bae stated, "The political grand coalition called the Democratic Grand Alliance is over," and Senior Spokesperson Kim emphasized, "We must engage in a genuine showdown with the increasingly conservative Democratic Party." Vice Leader Kim pointed out in an interview with KBS Radio’s 'Kim Kyung-rae’s Focus' that "We must completely break away from being the Democratic Party’s second fiddle."

On the other hand, Chair Park took a different stance, saying, "I don’t think we should oppose something just because the Democratic Party says the same thing." He added, "We should show clarity within our values and philosophy, rather than appearing to obstruct for narrow political interests."

The Justice Party is also preparing internal structural reforms to start anew with the new leadership. To decentralize the party leader’s authority, the Justice Party formed an innovation committee and passed a structure that divides the powers between the leader and vice leaders. Although Leader Shim Sang-jung was elected for a two-year term in July, she has announced that she will step down before completing her term to facilitate party renewal after the general election.

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