Democratic Party's Internal Conflict Over 'Song Young-gil's Candidacy' Continues... Pro-Moon Faction Calls It "Hypocrisy Without Justification or Value"

Song to Officially Register as Seoul Mayor Primary Candidate on the 7th
Pro-Moon Think Tank 'Democracy 4.0' Issues Statement Criticizing "Hypocrisy Without Justification or Value"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Internal conflicts within the Democratic Party of Korea are intensifying over former party leader Song Young-gil's bid for Seoul mayor. Following opposition voices from Seoul district lawmakers, the party's pro-Moon Jae-in faction also publicly criticized Song's mayoral candidacy.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 6th, 13 board members of the pro-Moon think tank 'Democracy 4.0' issued a statement saying, "We oppose former leader Song's hypocritical Seoul mayoral candidacy, which lacks justification and value, after having resigned taking responsibility for the presidential election defeat."

They stated, "Former leader Song took responsibility for the presidential election defeat and promised reflection and reform within the Democratic Party before stepping down. Although he mentioned the retirement of the 86 generation and declared he would not run in the next general election, the misjudgment of running for Seoul mayor?the most crucial region in this local election, which will be a test of the Democratic Party's reflection and innovation?before the ink on his declaration even dried risks dragging the entire party into arrogance and hypocrisy, potentially leading to a crushing defeat in the local elections."

They continued, "Wrapping up the presidential election loss as 'lost but fought well (졌잘싸)' and forcibly pushing forward with the Seoul mayoral candidacy under the self-serving logic of 'lack of suitable candidates' is a shameless act. The public will not accept this and will see it as arrogance."

They emphasized, "We urge former leader Song to act responsibly and not cause confusion in the Democratic Party's efforts for reflection and reform."

Earlier, more than 20 lawmakers representing Seoul constituencies, including Kim Min-seok, expressed concerns about Song's Seoul mayoral bid. With pro-Moon lawmakers also issuing a collective statement on this day, internal conflicts over Song's candidacy appear to be escalating.

However, on the 7th, former leader Song is expected to officially register as a candidate for metropolitan government heads through the Democratic Party's central party, marking the start of his active external campaign. On the 1st, he moved his residence to Seoul and expressed his willingness to run immediately if called upon by the party.

Currently, potential Democratic Party candidates for Seoul mayor include former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun, lawmakers Park Ju-min and Woo Sang-ho, and former presidential chief of staff Lim Jong-seok.