Lee Jae-myung's Return to Party Affairs Imminent... First Task is 'Integration'

Representative Lee to Return to Party Affairs as Early as This Week
"Physical Recovery Not as Fast as Expected"
Appointed Senior Officials and Discipline of 5 Defectors Put to the Test

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is expected to return to party affairs as early as the beginning of this week. Following a landslide victory in the by-election for the mayor of Gangseo District, Seoul, the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction has solidified its control, drawing attention to the reconciliation of conflicts with the anti-Lee faction. While the hardline pro-Lee faction continues to issue statements threatening a 'purge' against those who voted in favor of the motion to arrest Lee during the vote, it remains uncertain whether they will ultimately turn their knives on the already significantly weakened anti-Lee faction.

On the 16th, Kwon Chil-seung, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, responded to reporters' questions about Lee's schedule for returning to party affairs after the Supreme Council meeting, saying, "Lee Jae-myung has a strong will to return anytime as long as there are no health issues." Kwon added, "However, his physical recovery has not progressed as expected, so the return has been delayed," and explained, "No date has been decided yet." He also stated the previous day, "Although Lee's schedule for returning to party affairs has not been set, he will return as soon as possible once his physical strength recovers."

Some speculate that Lee may return to party affairs between the 17th and 18th. The scenario is that after attending the trial on the 17th regarding the preferential treatment allegations in the Daejang-dong and Wirye development cases, Lee will naturally return to the party. The first task for Lee upon returning to party affairs will be appointing a nominated Supreme Council member.

Attention is focused on whether another anti-Lee faction lawmaker will be nominated to fill the Supreme Council seat vacated by the resignation of anti-Lee lawmaker Song Gap-seok. While there are calls for an anti-Lee Supreme Council member who can appeal to moderate public opinion, given that the current leadership is centered around the pro-Lee faction, some hardline pro-Lee members are even calling for disciplinary action against certain lawmakers who voted in favor of the motion to arrest Lee. How Lee resolves this issue is expected to be the first step toward party unity.

Disciplinary action against the so-called 'approval faction' within the party, who voted in favor of the motion to arrest Lee during last month's vote, is also a matter of intense interest. On the 24th of last month, a petition was posted on the Democratic Party's National Response Center requesting disciplinary action against the five lawmakers?Kim Jong-min, Lee Sang-min, Lee Won-wook, Seol Hoon, and Cho Eung-cheon?who publicly expressed support for the approval of Lee's arrest motion. The petition garnered over 50,000 signatures within two days, and the leadership is awaiting a response.

According to the Democratic Party, petitions with over 50,000 signatures are reported to the Supreme Council. The Supreme Council discusses the nature of the petition, whether it can be answered immediately, and must provide a response within a month. It is understood that discussions on this request are still ongoing within the Supreme Council. In particular, matters related to disciplinary action may be handled separately through the Ethics Tribunal.

Some hardline pro-Lee members have made sharp remarks toward these lawmakers, calling them 'outstanding debts' and 'pus,' emphasizing the need for disciplinary action. However, the party is expected to proceed through the Ethics Tribunal and other formal channels for now.

On the same day, Supreme Council member Jang Kyung-tae appeared on SBS Radio and said, "A disciplinary petition has not yet been submitted to the Ethics Tribunal," adding, "The disciplinary process has not started. Although there were various opinions at the Supreme Council meeting, it seems there will be no disciplinary action regarding the approval vote itself." He continued, "It seems that Lee Jae-myung is being very cautious about disciplinary action. While some Supreme Council members argue that disciplinary action is necessary, Lee appears to hold a more reserved stance."

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