Lee Jae-myung Faction and Non-Lee Jae-myung Faction Fail to Find Common Ground Even in Party Assembly

Democratic Party Primary Postponement Dispute Peaks
Faction Divided Among Pro-Moon Lawmakers
Jung Cheong-rae: "If Party Rules Aren't Revised, Current System Continues"
Leadership Determined to Resolve Today

Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering a speech at the party members' meeting discussing the 'postponement of the primary election' held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon, Jeon Jin-young] The internal conflict within the Democratic Party of Korea over whether to postpone the presidential primary schedule is reaching its peak. The party was divided into the ‘Lee Jae-myung faction,’ which insists on principle, and the ‘non-Lee Jae-myung faction,’ which advocates for postponement, leading to a heated debate at the parliamentary meeting on the 22nd. However, since both sides remain at an impasse, it is expected to take some time to find common ground.

On the 22nd, the Democratic Party held a parliamentary meeting at the National Assembly in the morning to ask members for their opinions on postponing the primary. Among the nine Democratic presidential candidates who have declared their intention to run, six?Lee Nak-yeon, Chung Sye-kyun, Kim Du-kwan, Lee Kwang-jae, Choi Moon-soon, and Yang Seung-jo?support postponing the primary, while three?Lee Jae-myung, Park Yong-jin, and Choo Mi-ae?favor proceeding as scheduled. Representative Hong Young-pyo said on CBS Radio that "If the leading candidate accepts it willingly, it would be an easy matter to resolve," adding, "I ask those ahead to judge which path is better for party unity and winning the presidential election." He also noted, "Judging by the atmosphere among lawmakers and party members, ‘postponing the primary’ is the prevailing view."

However, some expressed concerns about the burden of postponing the primary again by violating party rules. This argument mainly comes from lawmakers in the Lee Jae-myung faction, recalling the breach of the no-candidacy principle during the April 7 by-elections. Yet, on the same day, Jeong Cheong-rae, a key figure in the pro-Moon faction, said on TBS Radio, "If the party rules are not amended, we will proceed as is," and when asked if he thought it was unlikely to change, he replied, "Yes." Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam Province also said on YTN Radio, "The principle is to hold the primary on time, but it can be postponed for valid reasons. Ultimately, consultation and agreement among candidates are most important," adding, "If a conclusion acceptable to party members is reached through this process, it will be resolved wisely."

The Democratic Party plans to finalize the matter today after gathering opinions from lawmakers at the parliamentary meeting. Since the meeting is not a decision-making body, the party leadership will hold an executive committee meeting immediately after to discuss the primary schedule. The responsibility will then pass to Representative Song. If the decision leans toward postponement, Song and the leadership will convene the party affairs committee, which can approve the postponement, reschedule the primary, and if the principle faction prevails, proceed according to party rules to hold the primary 180 days before the presidential election. Kang Hoon-sik, co-head of the Presidential Primary Planning Group, said on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ that "whether the primary is postponed or not, it will be settled today," emphasizing that the final decision rests with Representative Song. The three candidates advocating postponement?Lee Nak-yeon, Chung Sye-kyun, and Lee Kwang-jae?jointly attacked the front-runner Lee Jae-myung at a policy debate held the same day. They pressured him by saying, "The best thing would be for Lee to make a generous concession."

However, Lee’s camp strongly opposed this. After attending a National Assembly debate, Lee told reporters, "Former President Roh Moo-hyun said that choosing a principled defeat over a victory without principles is ultimately the way to win," emphasizing, "Public support for political groups comes from trust. Trust arises from keeping promises and rules." Kim Nam-guk, classified as part of the Lee Jae-myung faction, also said on YTN Radio, "It’s not about when a movie is released but about the content and plot. Without changing those, merely postponing the timing won’t guarantee success."

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