Gaeddal's 'Rebel Vote Purge'... Non-Myeong "Is This Cross Stepping?"

Sangmin Lee "Personal Insults, Excessive Pressure"
Yongmin Kim "Party Members' Anger and Disappointment Are Justified"

As the staunch supporters of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, known as 'Gaeddal (Daughters of Reform),' have begun efforts to identify the 'mass defections' that occurred during the vote on the arrest motion against Lee, reactions between the pro-Lee (친명, Chinmyeong) and anti-Lee (비명, Bimyeong) factions have sharply diverged. While the pro-Lee faction insists that this is justified, the anti-Lee faction criticized the identification efforts, likening them to 'stepping on the cross.'

Lee Sang-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker from the anti-Lee faction, said on June 2 on YTN's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon,' "According to the National Assembly Act, the vote is supposed to be secret and anonymous, but now they are calling it 'identification' or a 'hit list,' with such harsh language being exchanged. Moreover, in a democratic party, the term 'identification' should never be used. It is unacceptable. During the Nazi era, Christians were forced to 'step on the cross' to identify believers," he criticized.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Gaeddal supporters are sending text message bombs to each lawmaker, asking whether they supported or opposed the arrest motion, aiming to catch those who cast mass defection votes. On the morning of the same day, Jeong Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, also revealed on his social media that he received such a message and responded, "I voted against."

However, this has been pointed out as violating the principle of secret voting and freedom of conscience. Lee said, "It is natural and even enviable to like and follow certain politicians, but if it goes too far and involves personal insults or pressure on others, it is worse than not doing it at all," adding, "Our party’s direction is to correct distorted or wrong things, but we have not yet completely shed such behaviors."

Cho Eung-cheon, a Democratic Party lawmaker considered part of the anti-Lee faction, said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "When I see the incoming messages, I wonder if those targeting me and other lawmakers think of us as human beings," adding, "It feels like being forced to step on the cross."

On the other hand, Kim Yong-min, a pro-Lee Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "The anger and disappointment felt by party members are very legitimate and righteous," and "Those (defection votes) are betrayals by the lawmakers. They may have betrayed their own beliefs or the current era’s tasks and responsibilities. It is natural for party members to confirm and raise issues about such betrayals."

Another pro-Lee lawmaker, Kim Nam-guk, while asking party members for restraint, emphasized the legitimacy of the identification efforts, saying, "First, I think it is necessary to understand the feelings of the party members. They are disappointed and deeply saddened, and they believe we must move forward as a united front. If we split, everything will be ruined. That would only help the Yoon Seok-youl administration. That is the desperate feeling of the party members."

In political circles, the 'mass defection votes' are being interpreted as pressure from the anti-Lee faction for Lee’s resignation. Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party lawmaker, said, "From the perspective of Democratic Party lawmakers, there are issues with nominations, but there is a sentiment that if Lee’s leadership continues, they will suffer a crushing defeat. So, for the sake of winning the general election, Lee must step down," adding, "If he doesn’t seem likely to step down voluntarily, they will force him out. Then, what other way is there but to send him to prison?"

However, despite pressure from the anti-Lee faction, Lee has drawn a line against calls for resignation and is proceeding with his usual political schedule. It is interpreted that he has no intention to resign for the time being. Accordingly, the anti-Lee faction is expected to continue pressuring Lee to resign, focusing on his legal risks. Lee is scheduled to stand trial on June 3 for violations of election laws and is expected to be indicted without detention next week over allegations related to the Daejang-dong and Seongnam FC sponsorship funds. There is also a possibility that an arrest warrant related to the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance allegations could be issued as early as this month.

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