Lee Jae-myung Campaign Committee, Will It Open the Path to Reform?

Drive to Restructure Yeo Election Committee
Control of Lawmakers' Districts and Local Public Sentiment
Considering Expert Forward Deployment
Yang Jeong-cheol Criticizes "Camp Arrangement"
Attention on Realizing Alternative Plans at Today's Intra-Party Reform Meeting

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, attended a meeting on the climate crisis with youth climate activists at the Youth Culture Space Sinchon Paranggorae in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 16th, and is seen talking with the participants. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun, Jeon Jin-young] Amid active discussions on a complete overhaul of the ‘Lee Jae-myung Election Countermeasures Committee,’ a two-track reform plan is rapidly emerging as an alternative, focusing on ① securing local constituencies and grassroots public sentiment by the group of lawmakers and ② strategic deployment of experts. This proposal comes from a party reform and political reform group within the Democratic Party. In summary, it suggests replacing the group of lawmakers arranged inside the campaign committee based on ‘Yeouido-style seniority’?considering multiple terms, age, and factional balance?with an expert group, while ordering the lawmakers to head out to their local constituencies and the field.

This aligns with former Democratic Research Institute Director Yang Jung-chul’s criticism that the current arrangement is not a strategic deployment based on specialties and expertise but rather a rigid, seniority-based camp allocation. Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has also criticized the campaign for lacking ‘field experience and agility,’ so attention is focused on whether this alternative and plan will be realized at the party’s reform group meeting on the afternoon of the 18th.

On this day, Democratic Party reform and political reform lawmaker Lee Tan-hee, a member of the group, stated on SNS, "We must fully deploy personnel with field experience and expertise in the campaign committee, and the remaining lawmakers should go to their regions and meet citizens directly." He added, "I will relinquish my position in the campaign committee first. No position is needed to tour the field." Lee’s call and declaration represent a shared awareness of the issues within the Democratic Party.

Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is adjusting his glasses after finishing his speech at the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Lawmaker Yoon Gun-young, in a radio interview that day, pointed out, "In losing elections, all lawmakers stay in Yeouido, but in winning elections, lawmakers are all out in the field. It seems like they are in Yeouido in the current situation." A first-term lawmaker also told this publication in a phone interview, "Lawmakers should listen to public sentiment through their constituency networks, which should translate into votes, but there is indeed a lack of such tension," adding, "This should serve as each lawmaker’s ‘Key Performance Indicator (KPI)’ and, in the long run, as an incentive linked to nomination rights for the next general election."

The discussion that major campaign functions and final decision-making authority should be entrusted to an external expert group connects to the roles of former Director Yang, former party leader Lee Hae-chan, and former Strategic Planning Committee Chair Lee Geun-hyung. For lawmakers to be able to speak frankly?something they cannot do due to loyalty competition and power struggles?a symbolic figure like former leader Lee should lead the team. Additionally, to enable the lawmaker group to communicate efficiently and respond to the election campaign in a coordinated manner, the role of strategist groups like former Director Yang or former Chair Lee is also mentioned. A first-term lawmaker from the Seoul metropolitan area told this publication, "We need to quickly recruit innovative and reform-minded external personnel," adding, "And we must focus on field experience so that voices from the field can directly become the candidate’s message."

Woo Won-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, holds a press conference on the 18th at the National Assembly to announce the launch of the Basic Society Committee directly under Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

However, it remains uncertain how much this reform plan will be accepted by the multi-term lawmaker group currently holding key positions in the campaign committee. The campaign committee plans to derive reform measures based on the party reform group meeting held that afternoon. Campaign co-chairman Woo Won-shik told reporters at the National Assembly that morning, "Our party has achieved the result of being a one team, but on the other hand, there were issues of heaviness and slow discussion speed," adding, "This is a healthy effort to resolve problems arising from merging the campaign committees into one, and we will gradually improve this part."

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