"Why Did the Democratic Party Lose While the Moon Jae-in Government Succeeded? ... Opposition Raises Evaluation of the Past 5 Years"

After Local Election Defeat, Emergency Committee Raises Election Loss Evaluation
Beyond Analyzing Presidential and Local Election Defeats, Raises Evaluation of Moon Jae-in Administration
Must Move Beyond the Ghost of 'Moon Jae-in Did Well but Lost'

The Emergency Response Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea decided to resign en masse, taking responsibility for the defeat in the June 1 local elections. On the 3rd, the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, showed a desolate scene. On the same day, the Democratic Party plans to hold a joint meeting of lawmakers and the party affairs committee to discuss measures to recover from the crushing defeat in the June 1 local elections. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] After the crushing defeat in the local elections, voices within the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are flooding in, calling for an evaluation process not only of the local elections but also of the presidential election. Recently, there have been calls to broaden the scope of evaluation to include the entire five years of the Moon Jae-in administration.

On the 8th, a "DPK Presidential and Local Election Evaluation Forum" was held at the National Assembly, centered around first-term lawmakers. During the forum, in a closed-door discussion, Choi Byung-cheon, Deputy Director of the Korea Social Opinion Research Institute, stated, "To win, we must overcome two ghosts haunting the Democratic Party," referring to "the 'lost but well-fought' ghost related to Representative Lee Jae-myung (last presidential candidate)" and "the 'did well but lost' ghost related to former President Moon." He pointed out, "If the party had a successful (former) president and a successful presidential candidate, the Democratic Party would be a party without reasons for losing the presidential election."

Similar voices had emerged earlier within the party. On the same day, Representative Lee Tan-hee of the DPK mentioned on the radio, "Even those who were closely involved in the operation of the Moon Jae-in government now say that, regardless of the evaluation of President Moon’s character or dedication, the government itself must be objectively evaluated for its merits and faults." Additionally, Representative Lee Yong-woo, who is participating as a first-term representative in the new emergency committee, referred to the nature of the committee on the same day, saying, "It is not right to act as if nothing happened after losing the election," and added, "Naturally, reform must accompany this, and the emergency committee inevitably involves evaluation of the entire election process, the five years in power, the general election, the presidential election, and the local elections."

This discussion within the DPK is interpreted as an attempt to break the taboo surrounding the five years of former President Moon Jae-in.

In the last presidential election, the DPK showed a different stance compared to previous ruling parties. Typically, ruling parties frequently sought to differentiate themselves from the opposition, which advocated regime change. However, the DPK seemed unable to differentiate itself, possibly due to the high approval ratings of former President Moon, who recorded the highest approval ratings among past presidents. Moreover, the party was obsessed with the notion that the history of the democratic governments led by Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in should be recorded as a history of success. Because of this, except for some policies like real estate, the Moon administration was not properly criticized.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is shaking hands with former President Moon Jae-in after the inauguration ceremony of the 20th president held at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Deputy Director Choi diagnosed the Moon administration by saying, "After the 1997 financial crisis, it fully adopted the claims of the Korean progressive forces, but through implementation, it showed that the effects were not as great as expected and the shortcomings were greater than anticipated." In particular, regarding the controversial minimum wage issue, he pointed out, "The slogan was successful, but the moment it was implemented, it became a disastrous policy," adding, "It was an issue that drove away the conservative forces in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region and the 2030 young conservatives, who were part of the Candlelight Coalition." The Moon administration had planned to raise the minimum wage from 6,470 won per hour in 2017 to 10,000 won within three years.

In other words, progressive policies envisioned by the Korean progressive camp were realized under the Moon administration, but the results failed to achieve success in either policy or politics.

He stated, "For the Democratic Party to win, reflection and innovation are necessary," and added, "Along with reflection on political issues such as the Cho Kuk controversy, the conflict between Choo Mi-ae and Yoon Seok-youl, and the 'complete withdrawal of prosecution powers' (검수완박), reflection on policy issues such as the 10,000 won minimum wage, income-led growth theory, real estate policies, the three lease laws, comprehensive real estate tax and capital gains tax issues, and nuclear phase-out is also necessary." Deputy Director Choi emphasized, "Reform is good, but reform that is like a student activist movement is not good," and insisted, "While progressive values should be clearly pursued, reforms must be competent."

However, there are also concerns within the party about evaluating the five years of the Moon administration. First, if the evaluation of the last presidential and local elections drifts toward blaming Lee Jae-myung, the evaluation of the five years could shake another leading faction within the party, the pro-Moon faction. Furthermore, since the pro-Lee faction also has a support base among former President Moon’s supporters, such evaluation could undermine the overall support base of the Democratic Party. Nevertheless, amid successive defeats, there are also calls for the DPK to lay the foundation for a new beginning.