Democratic Party in Crisis... Pro-Moon "Must Hold Accountable for Defeat" Pro-Myeong "Moment Demands Leadership"

Pro-Jeong faction
"Party shows signs of becoming a private faction with Lee Jae-myung and Song Young-gil running"
"If we go straight to the primary, it will be a factional fight; responsibility must be questioned first and personnel reform is needed"
vs
Pro-Lee faction
"No one's fault but the lawmakers'; problem lies with politicians blaming others"
"Strong leadership is needed for the Democratic Party to reflect and reform"

The Emergency Response Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea decided to resign en masse, taking responsibility for the defeat in the June 1 local elections. On the 3rd, the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, showed a desolate scene. On the same day, the Democratic Party plans to hold a joint meeting of lawmakers and the party affairs committee to discuss measures to recover from the crushing defeat in the June 1 local elections. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] After the crushing defeat in the June 1 local elections, pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in faction) and pro-Myeong (pro-Lee Jae-myung faction) lawmakers revealed sharp disagreements over the responsibility for the defeat and measures to recover, including the party convention. The pro-Moon faction insists that recovery should be based on an evaluation of the local election defeat, while the pro-Myeong faction opposed the call for Lee Jae-myung’s responsibility. The two sides also differed on the timing of the party convention and Lee’s possible candidacy for party leader.

Shin Dong-geun, a pro-Moon lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 3rd before the joint meeting of lawmakers and party executives, "From the presidential election to the local elections, the party completely collapsed. As a responsible political party, it should have democratically decided on matters, and once decided, the leadership should have made decisions, executed them, and taken responsibility." He criticized, "Looking at Lee’s candidacy for Incheon Gyeyang District and former leader Song Young-gil’s run for Seoul mayor, the party has become like a private faction."

On the other hand, Im Jong-sung, known as a close aide of Lee and a member of the so-called ‘Group of Seven,’ criticized the party internally in a phone interview with this paper on the same day, saying, "The defeat in the local elections is the responsibility of the lawmakers, not anyone else." He pointed out, "The party lost because it failed to change and innovate more. The problem lies with politicians who blame others without reading the message from the people." Regarding the emergence of the ‘Lee Jae-myung responsibility theory’ among pro-Moon lawmakers, he defended Lee, saying, "Regardless, Lee initially said he would not run, but the party made him run, and he has since worked hard for the Democratic Party. Criticism alone will not solve the problem." Furthermore, he criticized, "I think the party is in this state because the pro-Moon faction is greedy to take control of the party."

The difference in stance between the pro-Moon and pro-Myeong factions was also clear regarding the call for an early party convention.

Shin said, "If we move into a party convention phase, it will just get bogged down in factional fights. We need to clearly identify who is responsible for why we lost, and those responsible should step back to the second line or undergo personnel reform. We also need to address what reforms are necessary in terms of content, for example, how to restore moral hegemony if it has collapsed, or how to make the party’s democratic operating mechanism work if it has failed."

Shin added, "There may be no alternative (party leader) or fear of disadvantages in candidate nominations, but since there are 22 months left until the next general election, let’s bring everything out and talk openly."

He also emphasized that new leadership should be discussed based on such evaluation and reflection. Shin said, "The pro-Myeong faction also has responsibility, and it is not the time for the pro-Moon faction to step forward. Since the ‘86 generation’ has symbolic significance, it is possible to give opportunities to younger people." However, regarding the ongoing controversy over fandom politics within the party, Shin said, "We have points to reflect on ourselves. The pro-Moon faction should also reflect on whether they have relied on fandom politics so far."

Im agreed on the necessity of holding an early party convention and stressed that a leadership with strong leadership must emerge. He said, "We need to create an atmosphere where we can reform and reflect as soon as possible. For change and innovation, a candidate with strong leadership must become party leader for the Democratic Party to reflect and reform."

The two sides also showed clear differences regarding Lee’s possible candidacy for the party convention.

Shin said, "Regarding the rumors of Lee’s candidacy for the party convention, he says he will reform, but isn’t he also a subject of reform? He needs time to rest for his own sake." Im said, "I opposed Lee running in the local elections. However, he took time for self-reflection, and after the local elections, I felt the party cannot continue like this. The party needs to be reformed and changed with strong leadership," leaving room for Lee’s possible candidacy.

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