[Reporter’s Notebook] The Democratic Party’s ‘Closed-Door’ Self-Reflection Relay

Park Hong-geun, Acting Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 9th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] On the 8th, a discussion forum organized by first- and second-term lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea was held. Since it was a place for self-assessment of the causes of defeat in the presidential and local elections, attention was focused on the remarks. However, the forum switched all discussion processes to private after the first presentation. At the second-term lawmakers' meeting held the next day, the members firmly locked the door to prevent the press from seeing. Acting Chairman Woo Sang-ho took a hands-off approach regarding the disclosure, saying, "They will handle it themselves," and instructed to only deliver the conclusion to the media.

Democratic Party lawmakers have recently been holding discussion forums one after another. Having raised their voices strongly claiming "we are right" through three consecutive elections, after the elections ended, they shifted to a mood of self-reflection, admitting "we were wrong." Not only in forums but also on Facebook, many are posting statements of conviction about the path the Democratic Party should take.

However, if the forums are merely places for sharing opinions among themselves, it is hard to see them as genuine opportunities for self-reflection. In fact, the discussion content was unimpressive. Voices calling for party reform erupted here and there, but they were passive about what and how to change. Especially whenever the policy failures during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration were mentioned at the forums, silence lingered as if it were a taboo word. When criticism was raised in the process, some lawmakers responded by asking, "There is no basis for that."

Simply shouting for "reform" does not guarantee change. Progress requires being prepared to hear harsh criticism without reservation, even if it is embarrassing. When the Democratic Party listens to voices from all sectors of our society, beyond specific groups like fandoms, it can find a new direction. Forums will continue to be held in various places. Courage is needed to engage in fierce debates that reveal flaws openly in public settings.

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