[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The pro-Moon Jae-in faction within the Democratic Party of Korea has launched a think tank called the "Democracy 4.0 Institute." While the previously known pro-Moon faction, called the "Bueong-i (Owl) Group," was an unofficial gathering, the formal establishment of the Democracy 4.0 Institute is expected to amplify their voice ahead of next year's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections (April) and the presidential candidate selection (September). A total of 58 pro-Moon figures, including 56 current lawmakers, have gathered. While keeping some distance from supporting Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung has been consolidating support among current and former local lawmakers.
Lee Kwang-jae, a Democratic Party lawmaker considered a core pro-Moon figure, said to reporters immediately after the founding general meeting held on the 22nd at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Seoul, "Party research institutes are election research institutes; they do not design the country's future. Because there is no blueprint, every presidential candidate forms their own campaign." He added, "To design a dream, it is important that Democracy 4.0 creates the blueprint." Shin Dong-geun, a senior member of the Democratic Party, supported this by saying, "The creation of a new government should not be centered on campaigns but led by the party. I hope Democracy 4.0 contributes to this."
However, they distanced themselves from the speculation that they would support Lee Nak-yeon as a presidential candidate. Hwang Hee, a lawmaker who led the preparations for the launch of the Democracy 4.0 Institute, told reporters right after the general meeting, "There is a question about whether a third candidate is being sought because the two candidates (Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung) are in a box range, but this is because there has been no such effort." He added, "I think it can create another turning point." He also drew a clear line by saying, "We did not establish a corporation to promote any presidential candidate. This is not an election campaign organization. It is an organization that will continue after the presidential election, so we cannot tell people who to vote for."
Meanwhile, Governor Lee Jae-myung is reportedly organizing his team centered around Gyeonggi Province. Current lawmakers such as Jung Sung-ho, Kim Young-jin, Kim Byung-wook, and Lee Kyu-min are called the "Lee Jae-myung faction." Former Democratic Party lawmaker Je Yoon-kyung was recently appointed as the head of the Gyeonggi Job Foundation. However, it is known that the Lee Jae-myung faction has not established a separate official meeting. A Democratic Party official said, "The characteristic of the Lee Jae-myung faction is that while each lawmaker has a personal relationship with Governor Lee, there are not many gatherings or social bonds among the Lee Jae-myung faction members themselves."
The chairman of the Democracy 4.0 Institute is lawmaker Do Jong-hwan. Members of Democracy 4.0 include re-elected or higher lawmakers who were members of the previous "Bueong-i Group," such as Hong Young-pyo, Do Jong-hwan, Jeon Hae-cheol, Kim Jong-min, Choi In-ho, and Hwang Hee, as well as first-term lawmakers from the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House, including Lee Yong-sun, Min Hyung-bae, Jung Tae-ho, Kim Young-bae, Han Jun-ho, and Ko Min-jung. Among non-lawmaker participants are former lawmaker Kim Byung-kwan and Choi Ji-eun, the party's international spokesperson. The institute's office is located in Gwangheungchang, Mapo-gu, Seoul, near the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation. This location is symbolically significant as it is the base of the "Gwangheungchang Team," which contributed to Moon Jae-in's victory in the last presidential election.
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