Time for Decision on 'Im Jong-seok Nomination'... Democratic Party at a Crossroads of 'Factional Conflict'

Strategic Public Relations Committee May Conclude 'Im Jong-seok Nomination' as Early as Today
Possible Intensified Backlash Centered on Pro-Moon if Cutoff Occurs
Chu Mi-ae Strategic Primary? ... Im Jong-seok's Side "Also Accepts Primary"

As the Democratic Party of Korea's 'nomination turmoil' approaches a critical point, the time for a decision on the nomination of former Blue House Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok is imminent. With discord already emerging within the leadership due to Lee Jae-myung's 'private recommendation' controversy, this is expected to be a turning point that will determine the direction of factional conflicts.

The Democratic Party's Strategic Nomination Management Committee plans to convene a meeting around 11 a.m. on the 27th to conclude whether to strategically nominate former Chief Im Jong-seok for Seoul Jung-gu Seongdong-gu Gap district. Committee Chair Ahn Kyu-baek said after the previous day's meeting, "There were various considerations and in-depth discussions, so additional deliberation was necessary," adding, "Given the strategic judgments made, there is no reason to delay further, so I expect a conclusion will be reached on the 27th."

Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung and Strategy Nomination Management Committee Chairman Ahn Kyu-baek are talking at the National Assembly plenary session on the 22nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the Strategic Nomination Committee meeting held the previous afternoon, intense debates reportedly took place over the nomination of former Chief Im, considered a 'detonator' of factional conflict. Hardliners argued that he should be completely excluded from the nomination, while moderates pushed for at least a strategic primary contest.

The Democratic Party is currently facing strong internal backlash over 'unfair nominations.' It has been increasingly confirmed that many of the bottom 20% of incumbent evaluations included anti-Lee factions, and that the pro-Lee faction received uncontested nominations regardless of whether they were inside or outside the National Assembly. In this context, if former Chief Im, regarded as a 'pro-Moon core,' is cut off, it is predicted that the backlash against the 'nomination massacre' will cross a red line.

Pro-Moon faction Supreme Council member Ko Min-jung said on YTN Radio the previous day, "At this point, we have reached a situation where we must nominate (former Chief Im)," adding, "The opportunity was when we asked the party's intention before registering the district. We missed the chance to adjust the district."

The leadership's dilemma is as follows. If former Chief Im is rejected, backlash from the anti-Lee faction centered around the pro-Moon faction could explode, but if he is nominated simply because he first planted his flag in the strategic district of Seoul Jung-gu Seongdong-gu Gap, backlash from the pro-Lee faction is inevitable. There is also the option of persuading him at the last minute to run in a difficult district, but this is not easy. He recently declined the Strategic Nomination Committee's suggestion to run in Seoul Songpa-gu Gap.

Former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok (center) is attending the 18th to 19th Chairman Farewell Ceremony and the 20th Chairman Inauguration Ceremony of the Seoul Saemaul Association held at Seongdong-gu Office in Seoul on the afternoon of the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Some suggest former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae as an option to resolve this situation. The idea is to have senior figures from the Moon Jae-in administration compete in a 'strategic primary.' Committee Chair Ahn Kyu-baek previously grouped Chu Mi-ae, Jeon Hyun-hee, and Lee Eon-ju as the 'three female warriors,' indicating a plan for strategic nominations in the metropolitan area. Former Minister Chu recently targeted former Chief Im by saying, "When integration is used to hinder innovation, we must boldly revive innovation."

A representative from former Chief Im's side said, "If a primary is necessary to find a competitive candidate, we will naturally accept it." They emphasized, "(Former Chief Im) has said since the end of last year that he wants to compete against a symbolic figure of the Yoon Seok-youl administration," adding, "He chose Jung-gu Seongdong-gu Gap because the system requires selecting a district, not because he deliberately sought a place where Floor Leader Hong Ik-pyo was absent."

Choi Byung-chun, director of the New Growth Economy Research Institute and former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, the Democratic Party's think tank, said, "There are stories that former leader Lee Hae-chan urged Lee Jae-myung to nominate Im Jong-seok, which is a final ultimatum that 'political support for Lee Jae-myung could be withdrawn,'" adding, "While it cannot fix the unfair nomination that has already occurred, nominating former Chief Im could prevent further internal party strife."

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