Next Week's 'Myeongnak Meeting'... Will It Resolve Accumulated Faction Conflicts and Become a 'One Team'?

The meeting between former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and current Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, which was postponed from this week, is expected to take place sometime next week. Attention is focused on whether their meeting can lower the intensity of factional conflicts and provide an opportunity to push for party innovation. The Democratic Party, troubled by Lee Jae-myung's judicial risks and a strong fandom, has even seen its 'Innovation Committee,' launched to drive reform, lose momentum.

According to political circles on the 14th, the meeting between former leader Lee and current leader Lee is expected to take place early to mid next week. Earlier, Kim Young-jin, the Democratic Party’s Political Coordination Office Chief, stated on SBS Radio, "A meeting is scheduled for early next week."

Chairman In Nak-yeon and candidate Lee Jae-myung are encouraging each other at the election campaign committee disbandment ceremony held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Democratic Party Central Office in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

The two were supposed to have a private meeting on the 11th but postponed it due to preparations for flood damage caused by heavy rain. Former leader Lee, who returned to Korea at the end of last month, paid respects at the graves of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun and also met with former President Moon Jae-in, but has yet to meet with current leader Lee.

A meeting between party leaders is highly anticipated to provide an opportunity for unity within the Democratic Party, which is experiencing factional conflicts. Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Sang-ho positively evaluated the meeting on KBS Radio, saying, "It will be very helpful for party unity."

The conflict between the pro-Lee Jae-myung (Chin-myeong) and anti-Lee Jae-myung (Bi-myeong) factions is escalating. Remarks suggesting the possibility of a party split have emerged, mainly from senior lawmakers. Pro-Lee lawmaker Ahn Min-seok diagnosed the situation as a "psychological split," while anti-Lee Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-min referred to it as an "amicable separation" on the radio. Both comments imply the possibility of a party split. The party leadership eventually issued a warning to Lee Sang-min.

Meanwhile, former Supreme Council member Kim Hae-young, known as an 'anti-Lee' figure within the party, met with former leader Lee, fueling rumors of factional conflict. Kim, a representative moderate within the party, directly criticized Lee Jae-myung last October on his social media, saying, "Leader Lee Jae-myung, it’s time to step down from the stage of history."

The problem of the strong fandom known as 'Gaeddal' remains. The Democratic Party’s member community 'Blue Wave' has become a platform for derogatory and hateful remarks targeting former leader Lee and the anti-Lee faction, including terms like 'subak' and 'nakji.' Former lawmaker Shin Kyung-min, affiliated with the pro-Lee Nak-yeon faction, expressed concern on YTN Radio, saying, "Very active and aggressive people have joined now," calling it a "foreseen and expected situation." There are also rumors that the extreme remarks by the hardcore supporters on Blue Wave influenced the delay of the meeting between former leader Lee and current leader Lee. On the 14th, Yang So-young, Chairwoman of the Democratic Party’s National University Committee, requested restraint on Blue Wave, saying, "Instead of hostile opinions, criticism, and derogatory terms, productive content should be exchanged."

The Innovation Committee, established for the Democratic Party’s reform, is becoming ineffective. This is because the party failed to adopt the committee’s first reform proposal, the 'waiver of parliamentary immunity,' as party policy at the party meeting on the 13th. If the first reform proposal is blocked, the handling of future reform proposals from the Innovation Committee is likely to stall as well. Within the Democratic Party, 31 anti-Lee faction lawmakers issued a statement supporting the waiver of parliamentary immunity, but it remains uncertain whether this proposal will be adopted as party policy.

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