While the 97 Group Pushes the 'Anti-Myeong' Line... The Party Convention's Popularity Drifts Away

Focus on Anti-Myeong and Unification Over Innovation in Debate
Concerns Raised That 'Eodaemyeong' Scenario May Struggle to Gain Traction

On the 21st, a debate for the party leader candidates hosted by the Democratic Party's re-elected members' group was held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. From the left, Park Ju-min, candidate Kang Byung-won, Representative Jung Chun-sook, Kang Hoon-sik, and candidate Park Yong-jin. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junyi Park] Today, one month ahead of the August Democratic Party of Korea National Convention, competition among candidates is intensifying. However, as candidates focus on checking the leading candidate, Representative Lee Jae-myung, there are concerns that the convention's buzz is actually diminishing.

On the 21st, re-elected lawmakers held a 'Party Leader Candidate Debate' at the National Assembly, providing a platform for candidates running in this convention to discuss. Preliminary party leader candidates Kang Byung-won, Kang Hoon-sik, Park Yong-jin, and Park Joo-min debated their reasons for running, party innovation plans, and Representative Lee Jae-myung.

However, the debate focused more on political engineering topics such as unification and Lee Jae-myung's candidacy rather than in-depth discussions on party innovation and candidates' pledges. When Representative Park Yong-jin asked Park Joo-min, "Are you willing to unify with Representative Lee Jae-myung for the sake of Democratic Party change?" Park Joo-min replied, "I am open to unification for now," but added, "For unification to be discussed, there needs to be common ground on values and party innovation plans, and a dialogue process to find that."

Representative Kang Byung-won also said, "I think the reason seven candidates ran excluding Representative Lee Jae-myung is because of a sense of crisis regarding him," and emphasized, "So how about declaring a direction for unification before the cut-off? I hope whoever survives among the 97 group unifies to realize their intentions."

He also asked Representative Park Joo-min, "Why does the media evaluate you as Lee Jae-myung's running mate?" In response, Park Joo-min said, "I came to win, and I don't really know about being a running mate." Kang Byung-won pointed out, "To stand as a responsible party, the leader must apologize to the people and analyze the causes of defeat, but since there is talk of not blaming a specific person for the loss, the running mate story arises."

Regarding this, former emergency committee member and preliminary Supreme Council candidate Kwon Ji-woong criticized in an interview with this paper, "This convention has become a structure of whether people agree with a certain figure or not," adding, "It hasn't become a hot topic yet, and it's natural that the public has no expectations. Discussions that go beyond the uniformity of factional conflicts are necessary."

There are also criticisms that the failure to generate excitement at the convention is inevitable because 'Eodaemyeong (Anyway, the party leader is Lee Jae-myung)' is clear. A party official said, "Everyone acknowledges that Representative Lee Jae-myung's chances of winning are high," and added, "In this situation, no matter how much other candidates move, it seems unlikely that the convention will attract attention inside or outside the party."

Representative Lee Jae-myung himself has refrained from speaking much after declaring his candidacy and registering, focusing on regional tours. When asked at the National Assembly about the 'anti-Lee unification' among the 97 group candidates, he avoided a direct answer, saying, "It is not a proposal from just one person, and there seems to be some consensus."

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