Five Candidates Except Lee Jae-myung Demand Postponement
Party Leadership, Who Had Stuck to Principles,
Leaves Room Saying "Let's Reconsider After Level 4 Social Distancing Ends"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Among the Democratic Party presidential candidates, there has been a competition between those advocating for postponing the primary election and those wanting to proceed as scheduled. However, as the COVID-19 situation worsened, calls for postponement have strengthened. Currently, only Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung remains firm on the principle of proceeding as planned, while the other five presidential candidates are all demanding a delay. In response, the party leadership, while maintaining their principled stance, has somewhat softened, leaving room by saying, "Let's reconsider after the end of the Level 4 social distancing."
Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Representative Park Yong-jin, who initially supported the principle of proceeding, have recently changed their positions. After the cutoff announcement on the 11th, both expressed to reporters that the primary should be postponed in line with the changing COVID-19 situation. Former Minister Choo mentioned the prohibition on gatherings, saying, "There must be a proper opportunity to hear the public's opinion," and Representative Park added, "This is no longer a matter of party rules but an important issue concerning public safety."
The voices of former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who have advocated for postponement since the early stages of the primary schedule, have grown louder. On the 12th, former Prime Minister Chung said on the radio, "The leadership does not listen well to the candidates. Originally, the candidates' opinions should be gathered, but these days it’s the opposite," criticizing the leadership for their inflexible stance. He added, "The party should be competent, but there is a hasty aspect to how things are being handled."
On the same day, former leader Lee also said on the radio, "There is a concern about how to satisfy these two things: protecting public safety and attracting public interest." Another presidential candidate, Representative Kim Du-kwan, also stated, "I argued that it would be better to hold the primary when COVID-19 calms down and daily life recovers, but the leadership did not accept this at the time," adding, "I understand that all candidates except Governor Lee consider this issue serious and urge the party leadership to make a decision. We share the same position."
The party leadership maintains that there is no change in principle, but the fact that five out of six presidential candidates are calling for postponement could be a burden. Kang Hoon-sik, head of the presidential primary planning team, said in a radio interview, "Postponing does not mean COVID-19 will be completely eradicated; we don’t know how far the Delta variant and others will continue to spread," and added, "In that situation, Party Leader Song Young-gil has made his position clear. It is expected that there will be no re-discussion or debate."
However, Democratic Party senior spokesperson Ko Yong-jin told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting, "So far, Leader Song’s position is to observe the results of the two-week Level 4 social distancing and discuss the primary schedule if necessary," leaving some room for reconsideration. Governor Lee also said on the radio, "I will follow whatever the party decides."
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