"Presidential and Local Election Defeats Due to Moon Jae-in's Indecisiveness"... 'Moon Jae-in Responsibility Theory' Emerges

Pro-Myeong Faction: "The Cause of Presidential Election Defeat is the Incompetence of Moon Government's Prime Ministers"
Intensifying Conflict Between Pro-Moon and Pro-Myeong Over Party Leadership
"Blame on Previous Administration Will Spread Further" "Criticism of Lee's Presidential Bid Won't Disappear"

Lee Jae-myung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is answering questions from reporters before attending the 'National Assembly Members Workshop for Exploring the New Path of the Democratic Party' held on the 23rd at Deoksan Resort in Yesan-gun, Chungnam. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Internal conflicts within the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are reaching a critical point ahead of the party convention. Amid the emergence of a non-candidacy movement targeting Lee Jae-myung, a leading party presidential candidate centered around the pro-Moon Jae-in faction, some members of the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction have raised the "Moon Jae-in responsibility theory," blaming former President Moon for the DPK's consecutive election defeats. The factional battle for party leadership is intensifying without any concessions.

After refraining from public appearances following defeats in the presidential and local elections, Representative Lee appeared on the 23rd at a two-day party workshop held in Yesan, Chungnam. Regarding his candidacy for party leader, Lee said, "It is not yet a situation to decide. I am listening carefully and humbly to opinions," withholding further comment.

At this workshop, pressure for Lee to withdraw his candidacy increased. Hong Young-pyo, a pro-Moon faction party leadership candidate, was coincidentally assigned to the same discussion group as Lee and reportedly directly asked him, "If you do not run in the party convention, I will not run either," urging him to step down. Lee reportedly responded, "I will think about it."

However, some speculate that Lee has already decided to run. His attendance at the workshop is interpreted as an effort to gauge the party atmosphere and demonstrate his determination to confront unfavorable public opinion head-on. According to some media reports, Lee recently met with fellow party member Kim Doo-kwan and said, "If I run in the party convention, please help me."

Jeon Hae-cheol, who was mentioned as a pro-Moon faction candidate for party leadership, declared he would not run. In an interview with KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs" on the 24th, Jeon said, "It is important to properly evaluate the presidential and local elections and design the path the Democratic Party should take. If Lee runs in the party convention immediately, can such an evaluation be properly made?" reiterating pressure for Lee to withdraw.

Lee Jae-myung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Hong Young-pyo are seen having a close conversation after finishing the "National Assembly Members Workshop for Exploring the New Path of the Democratic Party," held on the morning of the 24th at Deoksan Resort in Yesan-gun, Chungnam. Photo by Yonhap News.

As pressure from the pro-Moon faction on Lee intensified, some in the pro-Lee faction rose up, blaming the "failures of the Moon Jae-in administration" as the cause of election defeats. Yang Moon-seok, former chairman of the DPK's Gyeongnam Tongyeong-Goseong regional committee, wrote on Facebook, "The core cause of the presidential and local election defeats is President Moon Jae-in's indecisiveness," and "I will break the taboo with a self-destructive spirit. I want to put an end to the endless debates."

Yang also stated that "(the election defeats) were caused by the incompetence of Prime Ministers Lee Nak-yeon, Chung Sye-kyun, and Kim Boo-kyum during the Moon administration." This is a direct voice within the DPK, where there has been a strong cautious atmosphere about evaluating the Moon administration, holding the previous government responsible for election losses.

Choi Jin, president of the Presidential Leadership Research Institute, said, "At an early June discussion with first- and second-term DPK lawmakers, it was said that the party has two ghosts to overcome. One is Representative Lee, and the other is former President Moon," adding, "The responsibility theory regarding the previous administration will spread further." He continued, "However, this does not mean Lee's prospects for the party convention are bright. It will not be easy to reverse the negative public opinion caused by his unprecedentedly quick return without showing a period of apology and reflection after losing two consecutive elections."