'Dokgodai Politics' Different Yet Similar: Hong Jun-pyo and Lee Jae-myung

Non-mainstream Party Leaders Hong and Lee Rise as Presidential Candidates
Meeting Marks One Year Since Yoon's Inauguration, Highlighting Presidential Presence

The meeting between Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 10th attracted political attention because it carried political implications. The meeting took place after Lee proposed a one-on-one meeting with President Yoon Seok-youl, but the Blue House effectively showed refusal.

The fact that it was a meeting between the leader of the main opposition party and a ruling party local government head was also a topic, but it drew even more attention because both are politicians mentioned as potential presidential candidates.

At the meeting, Mayor Hong directly criticized the Blue House, saying, "Most of the people in the Yoon Seok-youl administration do not understand politics well," and "the government is not composed of politically experienced people." He also countered those criticizing his meeting with Lee by saying, "Shouldn't we offer kind words and warmly welcome the opposition leader who came to see me?"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is meeting with Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, at the Sangyeok Office of Daegu City Hall on the afternoon of the 10th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The meeting between Mayor Hong and Leader Lee on that day is seen as revealing their so-called independent, head-on political styles. Although their paths seem different, they are similar. Despite belonging to different parties, both have reached their current positions by pioneering their own paths without a political base within their parties.

They also share the similarity of not belonging to any specific faction and building their political standing through an image as local workers. Mayor Hong was elected governor of Gyeongnam Province in 2012 and led the provincial government for about five years. Later, in 2017, he was elected leader of the Liberty Korea Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) and was selected as the Liberty Korea Party’s presidential candidate in the 19th presidential election held that year.

Leader Lee also served as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province before becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 20th presidential election in 2022. After losing the presidential election, Lee became a member of the National Assembly through a by-election in Incheon Gyeyang District and secured party leadership by winning the party convention last August.

Both Mayor Hong and Leader Lee, who have taken independent paths, have faced crises. Mayor Hong experienced a crisis when he was excluded from the Future United Party’s nomination in the 21st general election in 2020. However, after leaving the party, he ran as an independent candidate in Daegu Suseong District and succeeded in making a comeback by winning. Before last year’s Daegu mayoral election, he also had conflicts with the party leadership over the primary rules but ultimately passed the primary and won the general election to become mayor of Daegu.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Leader Lee also faced a crisis after losing last year’s presidential election due to calls for responsibility, his own legal risks, and conflicts with the non-mainstream faction, but he became party leader with an overwhelming 77.77% of the vote at the August party convention.

In February, Lee faced another crisis when a large number of defections occurred during the parliamentary vote on the arrest motion against him, but he quickly moved to resolve conflicts by conducting a large-scale party reshuffle. Although factional tensions have not completely disappeared, there is a strong sentiment within the party that no one can replace Lee without a new rallying point.

From positions on the fringe and out of the mainstream to holding the highest party office as leader, the next step for Mayor Hong and Leader Lee is naturally the next presidential election. Their recent meeting is significant in that it naturally evokes the next presidential race.

By meeting Lee, Mayor Hong can highlight his distinction from the current government and emphasize his presence, while Lee, as leader of the main opposition party, can build an image of harmony by meeting with a senior figure from the ruling party. Although the meeting seemed sudden, political meetings often involve highly calculated political strategies.

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