The Unitary Opposition Has Collapsed... Intensified Intra-Party Struggle in the Opposition Party Is Inevitable

At least 31 'defection votes' occurred during the vote on the arrest motion for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. This indicates an organized movement by the non-Lee faction, meaning the unified front centered on Lee has been broken. Lee's staunch supporters have begun compiling a 'hit list,' and voices calling for public debates to reconcile differences within the party are emerging, suggesting that internal party struggles are inevitable for the time being. The ruling party is raising the possibility of a party split, calling it a 'de facto approval.'

Lee Sang-min, a prominent non-Lee faction lawmaker from the Democratic Party, said on CBS's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on the 28th, "The number that came out is not just a coincidence or a simple sum," adding, "While it might be an overinterpretation to say that one or two people planned and the entire group acted systematically, I don't think it was just individual thoughts combined."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, listens to the remarks of the Supreme Council members at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 27th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

This suggests that lawmakers questioning Lee's leadership acted in an organized manner. The day before, the vote against Lee's arrest motion was 138, significantly fewer than the 161 votes against by lawmaker Roh Woong-rae of the Democratic Party. Considering there are 169 Democratic Party lawmakers, at least 31 defection votes occurred. Including five independent lawmakers affiliated with the Democratic Party and Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in, who also voted against, the number of defection votes could be seen as up to 37.

The Democratic Party's stance, which confidently predicted a 'rejection with over 170 votes' before the vote, was rendered meaningless. Former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Choi Jae-sung criticized on SBS's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show," saying, "So-called pro-Lee lawmakers or floor leader Park Hong-geun said there would be 170 votes, specifically mentioning 'an overwhelming rejection,' but politics should not be done that way," calling it an "arrogant forecast."

There is an interpretation that the party has already entered 'election mode' one year and two months ahead of the general election. On YTN's "News King with Park Ji-hoon," Kim Jung-jae of the People Power Party said, "Democratic Party lawmakers chose next year's general election over Lee," adding, "I don't know what moves the Lee Nak-yeon faction or pro-Moon faction will make, but a party split is quite possible." Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party also said on SBS Radio, "There is only one year left until the general election. There are many Democratic lawmakers in the metropolitan area, and if things continue like this, they will inevitably lose, so the sense of crisis is very high."

Lee's staunch supporters, called Gaeddal (Daughters of Reform), have already started identifying lawmakers who voted in favor and compiling a 'hit list.' Various versions of the hit list are being shared on social networking services (SNS) and various pro-Democratic Party communities. However, due to the nature of secret ballots, these lists are inevitably based on speculation. Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook expressed concern on MBC's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus," saying, "I saw some of the lists circulating on SNS, but from my perspective, there were many people included whom I doubt actually did that," adding, "Emotional aspects should be calmed down, and this should be examined rationally."

With the unified front broken and Lee's leadership suffering a major blow, internal party struggles between the pro-Lee and non-Lee factions are expected to intensify for the time being. People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom predicted on MBC Radio, "Lee will not step down as leader, and fierce internal conflicts will arise, starting with Gaeddal identifying and attacking so-called 'defection votes,'" while Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-gye said on KBS's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs," "If there is a difference of more than 30 votes, that difference should now come to the surface and be discussed like a true Democratic Party," advocating for public debate.

However, the problem is that there is no clear alternative to replace Lee's leadership. Jo Jung-hoon of the Transition Korea party said on BBS's "Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal," "The bigger crisis for the Democratic Party is not Lee Jae-myung's judicial risk but the lack of a post-Lee figure," criticizing former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, who are mentioned as new centers within the party, saying, "If the election is fought with those two, it will likely be lost easily."

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