Lingering Controversy Over the Validity of 'Jeondangwon Voting'... Ruling Party Pushes Ahead with Party Charter Amendment

- Party Charter and Rules Require 'Over 33% Party Member Participation'
- Final Voting Rate This Time 26.35%
- Ruling Party Says "Not Subject to Regulation" to Defuse
- Internal Criticism Calls It a "Groundless Act"

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Central Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd and is talking with Secretary General Oh Young-hoon before the start of the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The aftermath of the Democratic Party of Korea's decision to amend the party constitution for nominating candidates in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections is intensifying. In particular, controversy over the 'validity' of the all-member vote has not subsided, and there are also voices of criticism within the party that party members were mobilized to justify the leadership's unilateral decision.

According to the Democratic Party on the 3rd, the Central Committee will be held at the National Assembly on the same day to process the amendment to Article 96, Paragraph 2 of the party constitution. The clause, which states, "If an elected official belonging to the party loses their position due to serious misconduct such as corruption and a by-election is held, no candidate will be recommended for the relevant electoral district," will have an addendum stating, "It can be otherwise decided by an all-member vote."

Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon said at the Central Committee meeting, "There are various discussions and criticisms about whether to field candidates in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections. I know, and the central committee members already know," adding, "As a result of asking through an online vote, with a very high turnout and a very high approval rate, the party members judged that it is right to field candidates and let the voters judge." He once again emphasized the justification for amending the party constitution.

Nevertheless, rumors about the party constitution amendment process continue. In particular, controversy remains over the fact that the valid turnout in the all-member vote fell short of the regulation. According to the party constitution and rules, an all-member vote requires participation of at least one-third (33%) of all party members to be valid, but the final turnout of this vote was only 26.35%.

The Democratic Party drew a line on the controversy by stating, "The regulation applies to all-member votes requested by registered party members, and is separate from the vote conducted last weekend by the party leadership's authority," but it has not resolved the counterargument questioning whether the vote was necessary in the first place.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

In fact, on the same day, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized, "The Democratic Party only had a 26.35% turnout in the all-member vote, failing to meet the voting requirements. This should be discarded, but they simply changed it to say it was just to gauge public opinion," adding, "If the turnout had exceeded 33%, they would have said it was valid. Did they conduct a rigged all-member vote without knowing what the result would be, just to check public opinion?"

Relatedly, there are also voices of criticism and self-reflection within the Democratic Party. Yoo In-tae, former Secretary-General of the National Assembly and an original pro-Roh figure, criticized the party constitution amendment, saying, "To flip it around like turning over one's hand at this point is a move without justification." He added, "If the party constitution, which is the party's constitution, is set, it should be executed as is at least once, and if the result is judged to be absolutely unacceptable, then it can be changed. I am saddened that the current political climate seems to be becoming greedy rather than principled."

Yang Hyang-ja, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said, "All criticism should be directed only at our leadership. We will accept criticism about abandoning principles and whether we are qualified for nomination," adding, "If there is any fault of the party members, it is only that they were forced to make a cruel choice."

This controversy is expected to become a burden that Democratic Party candidates will inevitably have to bear going forward. Given the nature of the election, where personal attacks under the guise of verification are expected to run rampant, Democratic Party candidates will also have to shoulder the risks created by the party.

A political insider said, "Unless the Democratic Party fields an overwhelmingly strong candidate to offset the controversy, the responsibility for the by-election and the lack of procedural legitimacy will continuously trouble the Democratic Party and its candidates."

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