Lee Nak-yeon 'Primary Election Rejection' Unprecedented 'Myeong-Nak Battle' into Turmoil [Han Seung-gon's Political Notebook]

Democratic Party 'Runoff Vote' Struggles
Lee Nak-yeon Camp Demands Objection and Urges Runoff Vote
One-Team Principle at Risk of Collapse... Worst Case Scenario: Candidate Replacement Theory

Supporters of Lee Nak-yeon, a presidential primary candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, are holding a rally on the afternoon of the 11th in front of the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding objections to the invalidation of votes in the presidential primary.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] In the Democratic Party's presidential primary, internal conflict is escalating due to the controversy over the handling of invalid votes after candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected as the 'barely majority' candidate. The camp of former leader Lee Nak-yeon officially raised objections to the vote counting method and formally requested a runoff vote.

Given this situation, concerns are growing that the presidential race might once again turn into a 'Myung-Nak showdown' ahead of the election. Furthermore, if the Daejang-dong scandal worsens as a negative factor for Governor Lee's side, the worst-case scenario of conflicts over candidate replacement theories, which previously occurred within the Democratic Party, is also being mentioned.

Meanwhile, Party Leader Song Young-gil reaffirmed the selection of candidate Lee Jae-myung. On the 11th, during his visit to Daejeon National Cemetery, he told reporters regarding the objection from former leader Lee Nak-yeon's camp about the primary results, "Our party officially confirmed Lee Jae-myung as the 20th Democratic Party presidential candidate yesterday, and I delivered the recommendation letter." He added, "Just as the Republic of Korea operates according to the Constitution, the ruling Democratic Party operates according to the party's rules and regulations."

Some voices point out that even if the primary dispute is settled, lingering resentment between the two sides may hinder their ability to prepare for the presidential election as one team.

A man in his 30s, Kim, who stated he supports the Democratic Party, said, "I hope the controversy over the primary dispute is resolved well," adding, "I wish the Democratic Party would stop experiencing internal strife." Another office worker in his 40s, Lee, emphasized, "If there is a problem, I hope it is properly corrected and moved past. After all, this is not just any election, but the presidential election."

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and the Democratic Party of Korea's 20th presidential candidate, is leaving the party leader's office while answering reporters' questions after the 'Party Leadership-Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Meeting' held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 11th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As Democratic Party supporters fear, the aftershocks of the primary dispute could shake the one-team principle. Especially if the Daejang-dong scandal causes a drop in support for candidate Lee Jae-myung, there is a possibility of the worst internal conflict, including the emergence of candidate replacement theories similar to the 2002 presidential election.

In fact, looking at past presidential elections, candidate replacement theories have surfaced when the leading candidate's support rate faced significant risks.

Jang Sung-min, director of the World Peace Northeast Asia Forum and former head of the National Situation Room under the Kim Dae-jung administration, recently stated on Facebook, "Even if Governor Lee Jae-myung is finally decided as the Democratic Party candidate, there are too many unexpected variables," adding, "Like candidate Roh Moo-hyun in 2002, candidate replacement theories could be raised from within the party, or the party could split into the Lee Jae-myung faction and the anti-Lee pro-Moon faction." He continued, "The reason candidate Lee Nak-yeon decided to run until the end is likely based on the assumption that such variables will occur."

Earlier, on the day after the primary results were announced, the 11th, Lee Nak-yeon’s campaign held an emergency meeting by division at their office to discuss related countermeasures. On that day, Hong Young-pyo, co-chairman of the campaign, held a press conference at the National Assembly and stated, "If all invalid votes from candidates Jeong Se-gyun and Kim Du-kwan, who withdrew mid-primary, are counted as valid, Governor Lee Jae-myung’s vote share would be 49.32%, falling short of the majority," and argued, "We must correct the improper handling of invalid votes and hold a runoff vote."

Additionally, Kim Jong-min, chairman of the campaign’s Political Reform Vision Committee, claimed, "The party’s election commission had already announced these votes as valid at the time, but later suddenly excluded the valid votes of the two candidates," adding, "If intentional, this is election fraud; if unintentional, it is a mistake and an error."

However, the camp of former leader Lee Nak-yeon strongly drew a line against the 'primary dispute' framing by some. Park Kwang-on, general headquarters chief, appeared on MBC Radio’s Kim Jong-bae’s Focus program that day and said, "People talk about primary dispute, but this is a completely different issue," adding, "In soccer or baseball, if there is a problem with the referee’s decision, video review is conducted. This is an objection. Does raising an objection mean rejecting the game?"

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