Park Yong-jin: "'Eodaemyeong' is a despairing resignation... Concerned whether the new leadership can gain public support"

"Challenged to Awaken Hope, but Things Are Not Going as Planned"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Park Yong-jin, a candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea's party leader, commented on the low turnout rate in the regional rights party member tour primaries on the 22nd, which remained in the mid-30% range, saying, "The atmosphere is one of despair and resignation continuing as it is."

On the same day, appearing on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus,’ Park said, "The turnout rate is generally low," adding, "When I first started, I declared my candidacy two months ago with the hope of breaking the despairing resignation of 'Eodaemyeong' (Anyway, the party leader will be Lee Jae-myung) into hope represented by Park Yong-jin, but I feel regret that it is not progressing as I pledged."

He said, "So far, the atmosphere is politically a vote of no confidence from party members toward the Democratic Party, and emotionally it is disappointment." Park cited the causes of disappointment as "the candidate’s responsibility issues, self-nomination in the local and by-elections, and the theory of the Seoul mayor’s self-candidacy, which have not been properly evaluated, responsibly addressed, or explained within the party, and yet it is just leading to another candidacy."

Regarding the fact that despite the despair toward candidate Lee, support is not consolidating toward Park, as he expressed, Park self-assessed, "I can also evaluate myself that I am not recognized or positioned as a suitable alternative." He also commented on the lack of narrowing support gap despite candidate Kang Hoon-sik’s withdrawal, saying, "The Lee camp is absorbing (Kang’s) supporters," and "there is a phenomenon of further concentration."

Currently, candidate Lee holds a cumulative vote share of 78.35% among rights party members, forming a dominant trend, while Park holds 21.65%. However, the turnout rate remains low. In the primaries held on the 21st in Jeonnam and Gwangju, turnout rates were 37.52% and 34.18%, respectively.

Park said, "It is just going toward a one-sided dominant trend, an in-house dominant trend, but the real issue is whether even if a strong leadership is established within the Democratic Party this way, it can gain public support," adding, "Is this party convention gaining public support? It is not, and while I must reflect on this, such a problem exists."

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