Lee Jae-myung Takes Control of the Party: "Today Marks the First Day of a New Democratic Party"

Emphasizing Youth and Practical Livelihood Reforms
"Must Become a Competent and Agile Party"
Focus on Renewal in Small Camp Form
Calls for Priority in Party Affairs Rights

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, attended the 1st National Great Transformation Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd, listening to the speakers with a cautious expression. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun and Jeon Jin-young] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea who has begun reforming the election campaign committee, declared on the 22nd that it is "the first day of the new Democratic Party" and said, "We will listen to the voices of the youth candidly and as they are." The candidate particularly emphasized ‘practical reform for people’s livelihood,’ stressing that "the Democratic Party must become competent and agile." The core of the reform is expected to take the form of a ‘small camp’ that strengthens the youth organization to target the vulnerable 2030 support base while responding swiftly to recent issues such as the urea solution crisis and housing loan problems. Within Lee Jae-myung’s close circle, there are also demands that the candidate should have ‘party affairs priority rights’ like Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, to take control of the party.

On the same day, during a ‘National Election Committee’ meeting held in the form of a roundtable with youth from the 2030 generation, the candidate emphasized, "Beyond winning the presidential election, I think we must resolve the frustrations of the youth for the sake of the Republic of Korea." The Democratic Party held an emergency party members’ meeting the day before, resolved to completely reform the election committee, and entrusted the candidate with the authority. In response, the candidate said, "I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the sincerity shown by the members who held the meeting and said they would focus on field activities for the people, the party, and the country," adding, "I will deeply reflect and fulfill that responsibility through change and innovation."

Accordingly, the role of the youth election committee is expected to expand further. Lee Dong-hak, the youth supreme council member who serves as co-head of the youth election committee, told reporters after the ‘National Election Committee’ meeting that they are "pursuing a plan to launch a separate youth election committee from the existing youth platform directly under the candidate," adding, "We are considering what role we should play to be advantageous to the party and the candidate." The youth platform is expected to play a role in the candidate’s pledges to the youth, a ‘weak support base,’ while also voicing calls to reform the Democratic Party as a whole, which has been criticized for becoming ‘entrenched in vested interests.’

Along with the reform of the election committee, the idea of former party leader Lee Hae-chan’s return, which had surfaced, is widely seen as not significantly helpful for winning the presidential election. A senior Democratic Party lawmaker said, "If former leader Lee returns, the candidate showdown between Yoon Seok-youl and Lee Jae-myung will be diluted, turning into a competition represented by Kim Jong-in and Lee Hae-chan, which is the scenario the opposition wants." The interpretation is that it is better to compete with the image of the candidate as a ‘competent administrator’ rather than as a ‘kingmaker.’ Furthermore, regarding granting the candidate party affairs priority rights, a lawmaker who was part of Lee Jae-myung’s primary campaign said, "To enhance competitiveness in the general election, we must seek superiority in all aspects through comparison with candidate Yoon, but our candidate does not have the ‘party affairs priority rights’ that Yoon holds," adding, "We need to consider how to overcome this so that the candidate can seize control of the party."

Meanwhile, during the election committee meeting on the same day, the candidate once again mentioned that the party has not been responding swiftly to recent issues such as the housing loan problem and the urea solution crisis. The candidate said, "Housing loans are needed now to pay the balance for house contracts, so what are we supposed to do if loans are blocked?" and added, "We will reflect quickly and implement feasible alternatives and report on them."

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