[So Jongseop's Political Analysis] Why Did the Democratic Party Lose?

The Cause Lies in Arrogance, Misjudgment, and Stubborn Politics Amid Structural Disadvantages

Lee Jae-myung, the General Election Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with co-chairmen Yoon Ho-jung and Park Ji-hyun, are watching the exit poll results of the June 1 local elections at the comprehensive situation room set up in the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy, So Jong-seop, Political and Social Editor] Public sentiment strongly supported the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. The election results for metropolitan mayors, with a ratio of 12 (People Power Party) to 5 (Democratic Party of Korea), clearly demonstrate this. The People Power Party cheered, while the Democratic Party remained silent. The Democratic Party secured a foothold for 'checks and balances' with candidate Kim Dong-yeon's victory in Gyeonggi Province, where a fierce battle was fought until the end. However, the party appears to be spiraling into turmoil, making it difficult to predict future developments amid the shock.

From the start, the election dynamics were unfavorable to the Democratic Party. This was partly because the election was held just 22 days after President Yoon Seok-yeol took office. The Yoon administration introduced new figures to form the government, opened the Blue House and Bukaksan Mountain, held a South Korea-US summit, and demonstrated execution capabilities by implementing COVID-19 supplementary budgets.

Still, explaining the Democratic Party's defeat solely by unfavorable election dynamics is insufficient. Rather, the fundamental core lies within the Democratic Party itself. This is characterized by arrogance, misjudgment, and stubbornness. Arrogance is symbolized by the candidacies of Song Young-gil and Lee Jae-myung. Former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, who lost in the last presidential election, ran in Incheon Gyeyang-eul, while former party leader Song Young-gil ran for Seoul mayor. Despite the presidential defeat, Democratic Party members focused on the narrow 0.73% margin and chanted "Jjeotjalsa" (lost but fought well). Leveraging their large number of seats, they also passed the so-called 'complete prosecution reform' bills. Toward the end of the election, the leadership even exposed signs of discord.

Misjudgment can be summarized as a lack of election strategy. They failed to deliver meaningful messages that could shake the political landscape. Although they promoted the 'checks and balances' argument, it was a term that lacked appeal from the start, given that the ruling party led the political arena early in its term. Since no change or innovation occurred after the presidential defeat, the message lacked strength. Furthermore, with Song Young-gil and Lee Jae-myung running, the election shifted from a 'worker theory' or 'service theory' to a political confrontation.

Stubbornness is exemplified by the 'Gimpo Airport closure pledge.' The party caused internal strife by publicly announcing this issue without prior discussion or consultation, despite ongoing debates within the party. The confusion itself overwhelmed the Democratic Party and led to public rejection, leaving no time to assess the appropriateness of the content.

The Democratic Party is expected to face accountability debates as a consequence of the election defeat. The overlapping losses in the presidential and local elections may intensify internal disputes, which will likely surface as a power struggle within the party leadership.

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