What the Ruling Party Innovation Committee Left Behind... Launched with 'Money Envelopes' and Tarnished as 'Lee Jae-myung's Private Organization'

Innovation Committee Calling for 'Comprehensive Reform' Leaves Party Conflicts
Raised 'Neutralization of Delegate System' as Final Agenda
Criticized as Overreach... Loses Momentum Amid Kim Eun-kyung Controversy and Ends

The Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea concluded its activities on the 10th with the announcement of the third innovation plan. It was launched with the aim of restoring the party's credibility, which had plummeted due to controversies such as Representative Kim Nam-guk's coin scandal at the end of June and the 2021 party convention money envelope incident. However, it ended prematurely, bearing the stigma of being not a 'savior of the Democratic Party' but a 'Lee Jae-myung faction organization.' There is an evaluation that the committee left behind conflicts rather than achievements due to a series of controversies surrounding Innovation Committee Chair Kim Eun-kyung and the division between pro-Lee and anti-Lee factions.

Kim Eun-kyung, Chair of the Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing the party's innovation plan at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

◆Innovation Committee's first reform plan 'Waiving Immunity from Arrest' causes controversy

On June 23, the Innovation Committee proposed the 'Waiving Immunity from Arrest' pledge for all party members as its first reform plan. Immunity from arrest means that a member of the National Assembly cannot be arrested or detained without the consent of the Assembly during a session unless caught in the act. The ruling party pressured Lee Jae-myung, who was facing judicial risks, to 'give it up.' The Innovation Committee argued that they should proactively waive this privilege to escape criticism of being a 'Lee Jae-myung shield party.'

However, the party leadership showed reluctance and was lukewarm about fully accepting the proposal. Some pointed out the need for careful consideration of politically motivated detention requests by prosecutors, while others criticized it as a populist announcement since constitutional amendments would be required. The party leadership expressed partial acceptance by stating they would not convene an extraordinary session to block arrest consent bills and would not reject such bills during sessions, but the Innovation Committee took a hardline stance. Eventually, on July 18, the committee resolved at a party meeting to waive immunity from arrest with the condition that it applies only to 'legitimate warrant requests.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Since immunity from arrest is a right guaranteed by the constitution, the resolution was merely declarative, but it still left a loophole allowing the use of immunity against 'unjust arrest consent bills.' Thus, the first reform plan barely achieved a half-hearted result after about a month.

◆Second and third reform plans also spark "Who are these reforms for?" conflicts between pro-Lee and anti-Lee factions

Subsequent reform plans provoked backlash from the anti-Lee faction, fueling internal party conflicts.

"Let's change the vote on arrest consent bills for lawmakers to a roll-call vote."

This was the second reform plan, a practical follow-up to the first 'Waiving Immunity from Arrest' pledge. The 'roll-call vote on arrest consent bills' aimed to make voting information public so that lawmakers would bear greater responsibility and the public's right to know would be guaranteed. However, amid discussions about the possible reissuance of an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, it was immediately criticized as a tool to 'weed out watermelon supporters' (a derogatory term for certain faction members). Representative Yoon Young-chan criticized on YTN Radio, "Since Lee Jae-myung has already declared waiving immunity and many lawmakers have joined, such discussions seem very petty."

Kim Eun-kyung, Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea Innovation Committee, is speaking at the first meeting held at the National Assembly on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The final reform plan, proposing the exclusion of delegates from voting and changes to the nomination rules, is expected to deepen the pro-Lee and anti-Lee conflicts and cause prolonged turmoil.

The Innovation Committee proposed, "The party leader and supreme council members, the party's highest representative bodies, should be elected by 70% one-person-one-vote from party members and 30% public opinion polls." Currently, the vote weight in the National Delegate Convention (party convention) that elects the party leadership is 40% party members, 30% delegates, 25% opinion polls, and 5% general party members. However, considering that the Democratic Party has 1 million party members and 16,000 delegates, there have been concerns that delegate votes are overvalued. This reform plan effectively proposes abolishing the delegate system, which is expected to cause significant repercussions.

The committee also suggested stricter standards for the relative evaluation of elected officials, proposing to increase the deduction of primary election votes for the bottom 10% to 40%, 10-20% to 30%, and 20-30% to 20%, compared to the current 20% deduction for the bottom 20%. Additionally, they mentioned forming a 'shadow cabinet' with one 'responsible lawmaker' per 18 government ministries and establishing a policy spokesperson system. However, these proposals have been discussed by other parties in the past and are not considered new.

Kim Eun-kyung, Chair of the Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing the party's innovation plan at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Ultimately, the abolition of the delegate system stands out, and there is an analysis that the Innovation Committee's activities only increased the voting weight of the 'Gaeddal (Daughters of Reform),' the strong supporters of Lee Jae-myung among party members, and ended there.

Supreme Council Member Ko Min-jung criticized at the Supreme Council meeting on the 11th, "The Innovation Committee announced the reform plans and left. Looking at the content, it effectively abolishes the delegate system and changes the nomination rules. It is hard to find a reason to take such a reckless step for electing the leadership when we are not dealing with urgent livelihood issues. It is an announcement that completely ignores the Democratic Party's system nomination."

Yang So-young, Chair of the Democratic Party's National University Committee, also said on BBS Radio the same day, "The purpose of establishing the delegate system was to resolve regional imbalances. There is no guarantee anywhere that the party will improve toward innovation just because the delegate system disappears." Regarding the Innovation Committee's last agenda of 'neutralizing the delegate system,' she said, "They missed the golden time to apologize for various controversies. So, they should have listened to their supporters to be supported and retire honorably."

However, the Innovation Committee emphasized the significance of one-person-one-vote. Innovation Committee member Kim Nam-hee said on CBS Radio, "Delegates are mostly recommended or selected through informal channels, not directly elected by party members," adding, "There was dissatisfaction that delegates did not represent party members' intentions." She continued, "When elections were difficult, delegate elections were meaningful, but now online voting is well established, so it is entirely feasible for party members to elect the party leader directly. Also, it was introduced as a democratic system, and it does not mean the delegate system has been reduced or abolished."

◆'Kim Eun-kyung Innovation Committee,' innovation committee fades while 'Kim Eun-kyung' remains... ends by empowering Lee Jae-myung

This Innovation Committee ended amid controversies, with the chair's activities overshadowing the organization itself, which is also pointed out as a limitation.

On the 30th of last month, Chair Kim said, "Why should people with a short future vote one-on-one?" referring to a conversation with her son in the past. This remark was interpreted as meaning voting rights should be proportional to remaining lifespan, sparking controversy over ageism. Later, she was involved in an unexpected 'truth dispute' over her statement that she had cared for her parents-in-law for 18 years after her husband's death. Additionally, when Kim Ho-il, president of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, slapped a photo of Chair Kim, political circles engaged in a debate over whether it was 'undignified behavior.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As risks surrounding Chair Kim accumulated, the Innovation Committee ended its activities earlier than scheduled in early September. There is deep regret even within the committee about this.

Chair Kim said upon concluding the committee's activities on the 10th, "The reform plans are the result of intense discussions and debates among many committee members. I am most afraid that they might be overshadowed by my various issues." Innovation Committee member Representative Lee Hae-sik said on KBS Radio on the 11th, "The reform plans themselves are something our party must implement," but added, "Due to several controversies and family issues involving Chair Kim, the momentum for innovation was somewhat damaged, leading to an earlier conclusion, which is regrettable."

The reform plans of the Innovation Committee are expected to be discussed at the policy general meeting on the 16th and the workshop held on the 28th-29th. After the meeting on the 11th, Lee Jae-myung said in response to reporters' questions about evaluating the reform plans, "Since the reform plans are proposals from the Innovation Committee, we will have internal party discussions to produce appropriate results."

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