"‘No Role, Different Mission’ Lawmakers Face Dilemma in ‘Lee Jae-myung Slim Campaign Committee’"

Consolidation from 16 to 6 Headquarters
Displaced Lawmakers Struggle to Find Roles
169-Seat Giant Ruling Party Underutilized
Opposition Kim Jong-in's 'One-Top Decision-Making'
Horizontal Structure Among Party Leader, Candidate, and Assembly
Candidate Relies Solely on Personal Skills
Convention Effect and Strategic Judgment Challenges

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is talking with election camp officials ahead of the 'Broadcast Journalists Club Debate' held at the Korea Broadcasting Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 2nd. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] "Is it only Lee Jae-myung and no role for me?" Voices of dissatisfaction are emerging among members of the Democratic Party of Korea’s election committee who were not assigned positions after the committee was reorganized from a mammoth structure to a slim one. They say, "My role is unclear. Give me a mission."

Previously, the election committee consolidated 16 headquarters into 6 (Policy, Organization, Functional, Public Relations, General Affairs, Strategy) to create a more practical organization. The intention was to secure agility and quickness. However, in this process, some lawmakers found their roles disappeared and are now confused about what they should do. In fact, on the 7th, a message was posted in the Democratic Party lawmakers’ group chat stating, "It’s good that the mammoth election committee has slimmed down with all members participating, but there is no role or mission assigned to the lawmakers who were left out during the reorganization," and "The rest of the lawmakers should also be assigned roles." Many lawmakers agreed, sparking discussions that "the roles of lawmakers without positions in the election committee should be clearly defined."

A first-term Democratic Party lawmaker said in a phone interview, "Since we have never fought a presidential election with such an overwhelming number of seats, limitations in communication and role distribution are being exposed," adding, "We need to restructure to harness the power of 169 seats." Another re-elected lawmaker expressed concern, saying, "The time lawmakers who have been left adrift spend worrying about what to do is getting longer." The problem is that there is no good solution to overcome this situation.

There are calls for the leadership shown by former party leader Lee Hae-chan during the general election, but the Democratic Party has distanced itself from the idea of Lee Hae-chan’s return, aiming instead to create a ‘Lee Jae-myung vs. Yoon Seok-youl’ dynamic rather than a ‘Lee Hae-chan vs. Kim Jong-in’ one. Another reason is that former leader Lee is not seen as very helpful in rallying centrist voters. A lawmaker close to candidate Lee said, "Even regarding the passage of Lee Jae-myung’s livelihood reform bills in the regular National Assembly, opinions among lawmakers in each standing committee differ, and there is a lack of leadership to coordinate these," adding, "It is not easy to make strategic decisions."

Unlike the People Power Party, which has a ‘one-man’ leadership structure under Kim Jong-in characterized by charismatic decision-making, the Democratic Party’s election committee structure, where the candidate, party leader, and floor leader form a practically horizontal arrangement, is also pointed out as a structural problem. In this form, the 169 seats ironically become a weakness, turning the structure into one that relies solely on candidate Lee Jae-myung’s ‘individual play.’

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is speaking at the 'Political Party Innovation Promotion Committee Launch Ceremony' held on the 9th at Gaon Stage in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung himself shares this awareness of the problem. Recently, he sent a letter to all Democratic Party lawmakers, appealing, "I am not enough on my own," and "In the remaining 90 days, please become Lee Jae-myung." The candidate plans to use the Party Innovation Promotion Committee, which will hold its first meeting on the 9th, as a catalyst for the ‘physiological change of the ruling party with 169 seats.’ A key election committee official said, "Right now, the candidate is in a transitional phase of taking control of the party and imprinting his color," adding, "The lack of roles within the election committee will be addressed through additional organizational restructuring to reflect opinions."

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