[Reporter’s Notebook] Layers of Sediment and New Lee Jaemyung

"Jeong Cheongrae's fans are like a layer of sediment."

This remark was made by a close aide of Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, during a recent dinner. The reference to “sediment” is closely tied to Jeong’s political trajectory. He is a politician who originated from “Nosamo” (the group of people who love Roh Moo-hyun). Although he suffered the pain of being cut off after first becoming a National Assembly member in the 17th general election in 2004, he has never once left the party. The word “sediment” refers to party members who have watched his journey and now serve as his political foundation.

The Democratic Party is currently experiencing another process of accumulation. While internal conflicts over the follow-up legislation for prosecutorial reform seem to have subsided for now, there is a deep emotional rift between long-standing party members—the so-called sedimentary layer—and the new support base known as “New Lee Jaemyung.”

This is also why there is some disappointment regarding Jeong’s recent actions, as he played a key role in behind-the-scenes negotiations. After concluding discussions on the establishment bills for the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Agency, Jeong appeared on Kim Eo-jun’s YouTube program “Modesty Is Difficult: News Factory,” where he delivered a message that bordered on self-praise, stating that he was “in sync with Lee Jaemyung’s heart.”

Another source of debate is the so-called “ABC Theory” mentioned by author Yoo Simin on the YouTube program “Choi Wook’s Maebul Show.” According to his interpretation, President Lee’s supporters can be divided into three groups: A, B, and C. Group A, which values principles, is “the core Democratic Party base that has supported the flow from Kim Daejung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in, to Lee Jaemyung.” In contrast, Group B, which prioritizes interests, is closer to the New Lee Jaemyung supporters. Group C is the intersection between the two.

For those who witnessed the failure of prosecutorial reform under the Moon Jae-in administration, the restoration of prosecutorial investigative powers under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, and who still carry the pain of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s passing, prosecutorial reform is clearly a sensitive issue. However, such sentiments should not justify the language of division. Fundamentally, values and interests cannot be divided in a binary manner. Even the notion of being the “mainstream” or the label “A” emphasizing values can become a language of division within the camp.

The process of accumulation within the Democratic Party does not remain stuck back in the “Candidate Unification Council” days when Roh Moo-hyun was the presidential candidate in 2002. The New Lee Jaemyung supporters may be the result of a new process of accumulation. While politicians who exploit values for personal gain must be watched carefully, what matters most is the essence. The focus should be on how to harmonize with the newly formed layers created by this process of accumulation.

We must avoid a situation where those in Group A try to take two steps forward only to take two steps back. Deliberating together and moving forward by half a step at a time is the mark of a broad-minded ruling party.

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