Democratic Party Kicks Off Leadership Race... Clear 'Lee Jae-myung vs Ban-myeong' Contest Emerges

Lee's First Schedule Is Paying Tribute to DJ

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Jun-yi and Oh Ju-yeon] With Assemblyman Lee Jae-myung running for the party leader position in the August 28 Democratic Party convention, the divide between ‘Lee Jae-myung’ and ‘anti-Lee Jae-myung’ factions has become clear. Since candidate registration on the 18th, the opposition candidates’ attacks against Lee have intensified, signaling that the competition for party leadership is entering a full-fledged phase.

Lee Jae-myung, who declared his candidacy for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, is paying respects at the grave of President Kim Dae-jung at the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the 18th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

On the day of his announcement to run for party leader, Assemblyman Lee visited the tomb of former President Kim Dae-jung as his first official schedule. In the guestbook, he wrote, "I will build a strong and competent Democratic Party with a ‘merchant’s practical sense and a scholar’s critical awareness.’" Later, speaking to reporters, he emphasized former President Kim’s spirit of unity, saying, "Former President Kim proved his competence through the spirit of integration and created a great history of horizontal regime change in our country."

Assemblyman Lee plans to focus on appealing for support from the Central Committee members over the next month, including chairpersons of basic councils, metropolitan government heads, party leadership, and lawmakers. Although he holds an overwhelming lead in public opinion polls among the general public compared to other candidates, the key lies with the Central Committee, which accounts for 70% of the voting weight. A representative from Lee’s camp stated, "Party members want Lee Jae-myung, but the lawmakers’ stance is somewhat different," emphasizing that "narrowing the gap between the lawmakers’ and party members’ views is an important task."

As Assemblyman Lee embarks on active campaigning, countermeasures from the anti-Lee faction are expected to become more prominent. So far, nine candidates have declared their bids for the Democratic Party leadership, including 86 Group member Assemblyman Kim Min-seok; 97 Group members Assemblymen Park Yong-jin, Park Ju-min, Kang Byung-won, and Kang Hoon-sik; Assemblyman Seol Hoon from the Lee Nak-yeon faction; former Democratic Party emergency committee chair Park Ji-hyun; and former Supreme Council member Lee Dong-hak. Non-Lee Jae-myung faction lawmakers are emphasizing Lee’s responsibility for the defeats in the presidential and local elections.

Assemblyman Kang Byung-won criticized Lee on Facebook the previous day, saying, "The judicial risks are real. How long must the party struggle to protect Lee Jae-myung’s time?" Meanwhile, Assemblyman Seol Hoon said on the radio that day, "The party is divided into pro-Lee and anti-Lee factions, and I believe there are more people in the anti-Lee camp within the party."

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