Rising Lee Jae-myung's 'Second-Term Retreat Speculation'

Minju to Run 2020 General Election with Lee Nak-yeon
"Even if Lee Jae-myung Steps Back for a Second Term, It Will Be a Strategic Decision"

Ahead of the general election, there is a possibility that Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, may step back to a secondary leadership position. A specific timeline of 'late February to early March next year' has even been suggested. Although not immediately, it is interpreted to mean that there is room to consider a plan where new leadership takes the helm to lead the general election when the nominations are finalized and each candidate begins full-scale campaigning.

The Democratic Party already has a similar precedent. During the 20th general election, when the party was experiencing internal strife due to consecutive election defeats and the split caused by lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, then-party leader Moon Jae-in brought in Kim Jong-in as the emergency committee chairman. In the last 21st general election, then-leader Lee Hae-chan put forward Lee Nak-yon as the election committee chairman to lead the campaign. Kim Young-jin, the party leader’s political coordination chief and a pro-Lee Jae-myung faction member, mentioned the specific timeline of 'late February to early March' regarding the possibility of Lee Jae-myung stepping back to a secondary leadership role.

In an interview with the YouTube channel 'Nocut' on the 15th, Kim referred to the 2020 21st general election when former leader Lee Hae-chan put Lee Nak-yon at the forefront, saying, "The Lee Hae-chan?Lee Nak-yon arrangement also emerged in late February to early March, so there is still quite some time ahead. There remains a card on how to proceed at that time."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

While the Democratic Party is cautious about the growing issue of 'Lee Jae-myung stepping back to a secondary leadership role,' it keeps open the possibility that the situation may change later. Jang Kyung-tae, a Supreme Council member, said, "Our basic assumption is that Lee Jae-myung, currently the top opposition presidential candidate, should be traveling nationwide to support campaigns."

On the 18th, Jang said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "During the 2020 21st general election, former leader Lee Nak-yon was the top presidential candidate, so he took on the role of election committee chairman and traveled nationwide to support campaigns. Under Lee Jae-myung’s leadership, we plan to prepare in an orderly manner, but since the situation can change rapidly, we intend to bring several prominent figures to the forefront to secure victory in the general election."

Assemblyman Jeon Yong-gi said, "Strategically, Lee Jae-myung stepping back to a secondary leadership role could happen later," but added, "However, this is not because there is someone who can replace or exclude Lee Jae-myung, but a strategic judgment by the Democratic Party based on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s stance."

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