Negative Suspension and Appointment of 30s-40s Ministers... Will Lee Jae-myung's Gamble Work?

Aiming to Break Out of the 30% Range
"Forming a National Cabinet... Appointing Young Ministers
to Create a Unified Government"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun, Park Joon-yi] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, has unveiled a plan to form a national cabinet after taking office and appoint ministers from the 30s and 40s age group. He also declared that he would stop the escalating negative campaigns during the presidential election process. This move is seen as Lee’s strategic gamble to boost his approval ratings, aligning with the 7-member council’s pledge of loyal service and Party Leader Song Young-gil’s determination for personnel reform.

On the 26th, Lee held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly and said, "Regardless of political faction or age, I will broadly appoint the necessary talents to form a ‘completely new cabinet.’" He specifically mentioned, "I will consider a system where the prime minister is recommended by the National Assembly or the public," and added, "I think young ministers in their 30s and 40s are suitable for fields such as science and technology and future environment." He stated, "The younger generation will be the most reliable partners in governance under the Lee Jae-myung administration," and pledged, "I will not hesitate to make repeated efforts to overcome crises." He also promised, "I will not disappoint the public with revolving-door appointments based on division of spoils," and said, "Lee Jae-myung’s national cabinet will undergo a complete transformation from desk-based report leadership to on-site problem-solving leadership."

Lee’s declaration on this day is interpreted as a strategic move to appeal to moderate voters and the 20s and 30s age groups in an effort to rebound from approval ratings stuck in the 30% range. The strategy is to replace the dominant ‘86 Group’ (those born in the 1960s who entered university in the 1980s) within the party with a generational change, and to expand the party’s base by appointing talents beyond factional lines, including young talents. However, it remains uncertain how much the 86 Group lawmakers will respond to this approach. Regarding the lack of follow-up declarations from the 86 Group, Lee said, "It is not something I can dare to directly demand regarding a specific person’s political retirement," and added, "I will look for ways to address this through internal discussions."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, holds a press conference at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 26th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He also declared that he would stop the escalating negative exchanges during the presidential election process. He said, "I feel ashamed every time I hear that this is the most disliked presidential election in history, beyond just disappointment. I bow my head and apologize," and proposed, "I will stop all negative campaigning. I ask the opposition party to join me."

However, the People Power Party criticized Lee’s declaration as ‘empty talk.’ Won Il-hee, spokesperson for the People Power Party, told this outlet, regarding the ‘unified government’ claim, "This is not a political reform that can be done immediately, but something that will be done after taking office, so from the public’s perspective, it will only sound like unrealistic talk." Regarding the declaration to stop negative campaigning, he said, "Everything he has said so far has been negative campaigning, and now he says he will stop? I hope he shows this not just in words but in actions."

The Democratic Party leadership showed efforts to solidify their stronghold by holding a Central Election Committee meeting in Gwangju on the same day. Party Leader Song Young-gil and Floor Leader Yoon Ho-jung visited the site of the Hwajeong I-Park apartment collapse accident in Seo-gu, Gwangju, and discussed follow-up measures. In his opening remarks at the election committee meeting, Floor Leader Yoon stated, "We will investigate the cause of the Gwangju collapse accident, strengthen laws, identify responsibilities, and punish those responsible severely."

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