'Blood Battle' Song Young-gil and Kim Ki-hyun's Initial Report Card... And President Moon

The Korea-US Summit Meeting Seems to Be a Turning Point

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Ki-hyun, Acting Leader of the People Power Party, attended an emergency party meeting held on the 14th in front of the Blue House Fountain in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and made remarks condemning the forced approval of Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The Blue House and the ruling party compromised to avoid a fatal blow, while the opposition party demonstrated its fighting power. This is the report card on the controversy over the appointment of 'ministerial candidates' that unfolded over the past few days and was temporarily settled on the 14th.

Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has emphasized the party's leadership ahead of next year's presidential election. This reflects the internal party sentiment of 'at least one candidate must be dismissed,' and also presents a stance of distancing from the 'pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in)' faction. From the perspective of Kim Ki-hyun, acting leader of the People Power Party and floor leader, he opened the stage for strong confrontation with the ruling party, highlighting clarity. The test can be seen as having restarted. If pressure is applied with justification and strategy, the ruling party could be plunged back into the quagmire of responsibility for political deadlock. Of course, if perceived as a 'spoiler' force, it could face a backlash.

Although one ministerial candidate who would serve in the latter half of the term was lost, President Moon Jae-in was not fatally wounded. He also sent a signal respecting the opinions of both ruling and opposition parties and achieved the appointment of four out of five nominated prime minister and ministers as cabinet members without issue.

The Blue House's ministerial appointments in the final phase of the administration were relatively low-profile, consisting of bureaucrats or academics. Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum is also evaluated as a stable and managerial cabinet figure, being a politician from the Yeongnam region who is distant from the 'pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in)' faction.

However, coinciding with the ruling party's crushing defeat in last month's by-elections and the election of new leadership in both ruling and opposition parties, the issue swelled into a major concern.

Within the Democratic Party, it was widely regarded as a test of 'Song Young-gil's leadership.' It is known that Song expressed at a luncheon with President Moon on the 4th, "I don't understand why I am called 'anti-Moon,'" indicating that he has been perceived as distant from the 'pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in)' faction.

Within the Democratic Party, there was early consensus that it would be appropriate for at least one ministerial candidate to withdraw or have their appointment revoked. This was ignited by first-term lawmakers publicly demanding it. However, this could be perceived as a rupture in the ruling party-Blue House relationship and provoke backlash from the pro-Moon camp. Yoon Gun-young, a lawmaker and former Blue House Office of State Affairs chief, expressed disappointment toward the first-term lawmakers, saying the phrase 'at least one is unqualified' was regrettable and hard to accept. Jin Sung-jun, a former Blue House Secretary for Political Planning, and Jeong Cheong-rae, considered a hardliner in the pro-Moon faction, also publicly criticized the first-term lawmakers.

Although President Moon's positive evaluation of his governance is declining, it remains relatively high compared to previous presidents. For the Democratic Party leadership, it was a precarious situation. Baek Hye-ryun, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said, "The media keeps reporting an abnormal atmosphere between the party and the Blue House, but it does not seem to be a serious situation at all."

Ultimately, the crisis was overcome in the form of voluntary withdrawal of Park Jun-young, nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, coordinated with the Blue House. Democratic Party senior spokesperson Ko Yong-jin said the day before, "It can be seen as President Moon, who holds the appointment authority, accepting public sentiment after gathering opinions from the party leadership." This was interpreted as emphasizing the party's role.

Kim Ki-hyun, acting leader of the People Power Party, declared right after his election on the 30th of last month, "We will fight where we must." He also pressured, saying, "If the Democratic Party does not fulfill its obligation to return the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, it will be in a position of lawbreakers."

He emphasized a clear image of confrontation with the ruling party and acted when controversies over the prime minister and ministerial candidates' status arose. Although there was considerable public opinion, such as People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung saying, "I hope Kim Boo-kyum's confirmation passes decisively," he linked it to the status of ministerial candidates. The so-called 'death note' from the Justice Party demanding the dismissal of two candidates also provided support.

The question now is how far the level of confrontation with the ruling party will be raised. Criticizing the personnel failure and the ruling party's unilateral behavior, the opposition may refuse to participate in the legislative negotiation process. This would be a way to hold the ruling party accountable for destroying cooperation. The chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee could be a key point in negotiations, but currently, it seems unlikely that the Democratic Party will yield it.

However, considering that the People Power Party's support does not match its by-election victories, there is also criticism that this could erode support. An Il-won, CEO of Research View, said, "Misjudging election results leads to mistakes," adding, "In a situation ahead of the Korea-US summit, if the opposition is perceived as opposing just for the sake of opposition, it will be a negative."

From President Moon's perspective, the Korea-US summit scheduled for the 21st is expected to be a turning point that will determine his standing in the final phase of his term. An said, "It will be a critically important summit concerning peace on the Korean Peninsula, vaccines, and economic issues," and predicted, "Depending on the outcome, it could minimize the lame-duck effect and inject momentum into the final phase of the administration."

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