Sangmin Lee: "Jaemyung Lee's Candidacy for Party Leader Not Appropriate from the Perspective of 'Responsible Politics'"

Sangmin Lee "Must Have Urgency That Democratic Party Will Collapse
Jaemyung Lee Inappropriate to Run for Party Leader"

Lee Sang-min, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Central Election Commission meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th and delivering a greeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Lee Sang-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who is being mentioned as the new Emergency Response Committee Chairperson, criticized Lee Jae-myung, the party's Standing Adviser, on the 7th, saying, “It is very unsightly that (Lee Jae-myung) does not acknowledge responsibility as the General Election Campaign Committee Chairperson,” and regarding his potential candidacy in the party leadership election this August, he said, “From the perspective of responsible politics, running for party leader is inappropriate.”

On the same day, Lee appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon' and stated, “The Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat starting from last year's (April 7) by-elections, the presidential election, and local elections. If we proceed as is in the general election two years from now, it will be a total disaster. We are at a crossroads in Korean politics, and we must seriously consider this with a sense of urgency. Depending on the degree of responsibility, those who should take responsibility must do so, and those who should step down must step down cleanly, showing the proper attitude.”

Regarding Lee Jae-myung's possible run for party leader, he said, “Lee Jae-myung was the main figure responsible for the presidential election defeat and has not fully cleared various suspicions. It would be better for him and the party, as well as for the development of Korean politics, to resolve those suspicions and take time for self-recharging,” adding, “From the standpoint of responsible politics, it is proper to show such behavior. Therefore, running in the party leadership election is inappropriate.”

He also pointed out, “Lee Jae-myung must clarify his position on the various responsibilities related to this local election and how he will take responsibility.” He cited causes for the local election defeat such as “Lee Jae-myung and former leader Song Young-gil’s groundless candidacies,” “the sexual misconduct case involving Assemblyman Park Wan-joo,” “nomination controversies,” and “the unilateral passage of the 'complete removal of prosecution investigation rights' (Geomsuwanbak) legislation.” Lee said, “The party is neither democratic nor progressive and is no different from the People Power Party,” highlighting the failure to pass the Equality Act (Anti-Discrimination Act) as a representative example.

Regarding candidates for the next Emergency Response Committee Chairperson, he said, “I am not much discussed as a candidate and it would not be easy to be recommended because I am disliked,” adding, “To firmly push forward on responsibility issues, the person must be willing to take on the role of the villain, lead from the center with a strong heart, and have a weak factional color.”

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