Hardline Remarks on North Korea, Opposition to Supplementary Budget Debate: Distancing from the Democratic Party
Expert: "The New Leadership's Task is High-Level Differentiation"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Ahead of the runoff vote for the party leader election, the new leadership of the Justice Party faces the task of establishing a new system following Roh Hoe-chan and Sim Sang-jung and seeking a new path forward. In particular, the emphasis seems to be on differentiating their line from the Democratic Party.
The Justice Party, which had aligned with the Democratic Party in some political situations during the 20th National Assembly, including former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, is changing from the 21st National Assembly onward. They are striving to break away from the label of being the so-called ‘Democratic Party’s second squad’ and focusing on line differentiation unique to progressive parties. Both candidates in the runoff for party leader, Kim Jong-chul and Bae Jin-kyo, mentioned breaking ties with the Democratic Party in their campaign statements.
In this context, consecutive hardline remarks toward North Korea are noteworthy. On the 28th, Justice Party leader Sim Sang-jung raised the level of criticism at the Executive Committee meeting regarding North Korea’s shooting of a South Korean public official, calling it “an inhumane civilian murder committed by North Korea.” Sim also urged the Democratic Party, saying, “The perspective within some parts of the ruling party that prioritizes inter-Korean relations over the lives of our citizens must be corrected,” and called for agreement on a resolution condemning North Korea.
Furthermore, Kim Jong-dae, head of the Justice Party’s Korea Peninsula Peace Headquarters, made a hardline statement, saying, “If the Joint Chiefs of Staff had promptly assessed the situation, they should have destroyed the trap that shot and burned our resident according to military response principles.”
Some interpret these remarks as part of a strategy to differentiate the party’s line. Given the situation where facts are unclear and mixed, the party is showing an approach that aligns with public sentiment without resorting to partisan logic. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 29th, “Breaking ties with the Democratic Party should not lead to strategic remarks or political strife typical of conservative opposition parties,” adding, “These remarks demonstrate a differentiation strategy based on facts while considering public sentiment rather than partisan logic.”
He also said, “The new task for the Justice Party will be a high-level differentiation.” He explained, “When the Justice Party raises voices on progressive agendas that the Democratic Party, which claimed to be progressive, has neglected and takes the lead, it can establish the status of a progressive party in the ‘post-Sim Sang-jung’ era.”
Earlier, lawmakers Ryu Ho-jeong and Jang Hye-young attracted the votes of the ‘2030 young progressives’ sensitive to gender issues by refusing to pay respects to the late Park Won-soon and proposing the Anti-Discrimination Act. Lawmaker Ryu showed an anti-authoritarian approach by attending the plenary session wearing a one-piece dress. Following the targeting of the 2030 demographic, sharp criticism toward the Democratic Party continued. Lawmaker Jang, a member of the Planning and Finance Committee, spoke out against the 4th supplementary budget bill on the 22nd, saying, “We repeated unnecessary debates over selective versus universal benefits,” and “No lessons were learned three months after the first supplementary budget,” expressing her conviction.
Continuing this will be an important role for the new leadership. However, internal conflicts over progressive party agendas and identity remain a variable. This is because opposition sometimes arises over ‘labor’ and ‘gender’ issues. A candidate for the Justice Party’s city party chairperson pledged to ‘break with radical feminism’ in their campaign promises and caused controversy by using photos of lawmakers Ryu and Jang, who have spoken on these issues. Leadership capable of embracing both the first-generation supporters of the progressive party who valued the importance of labor and the young progressive supporters who currently prioritize gender issues is required.
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