Using the 'Lee Jae-myung Responsibility Theory' from Within the Party as a Stepping Stone
However, the Atmosphere for Endorsement Must Grow Stronger for Park Ju-min and Others to Join In
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Members of the '97 Group' within the Democratic Party of Korea are throwing their hats into the ring for the party leadership election scheduled for August. The background behind their push for generational change is interpreted as ongoing opposition within the party to Representative Lee Jae-myung's candidacy.
On the 30th, Representative Park Yong-jin, who declared his candidacy, stated at a press conference, "I will change the resignation of 'Eodaemyeong (Anyway, the party leader will be Lee Jae-myung)' into an exciting expectation called Park Yong-jin." He also challenged Representative Lee by saying, "I ask you to compete fiercely with Park Yong-jin over what innovation means to you and the innovation of the Democratic Party."
As Representative Park mentioned, the recent candidacy declarations by the 97 Group members are underpinned by the responsibility discourse toward Representative Lee that has continued to surface within the party following the election defeat. Previously, party leadership contenders Hong Young-pyo and Jeon Hae-cheol expressed their intention not to run, emphasizing responsibility for the recent election failure. This is effectively a move to pressure Representative Lee not to run.
Representative Kang Byung-won, the first among the 97 Group to announce his candidacy the day before, referred to encouragement from party members such as Lee In-young, saying, "(Representative Lee) said that the theory of generational change must not fade, and that you all must make a decision and take on the role." He added, "The people have been doing this for a long time, and because they have done it for so long, the Democratic Party has lost trust. So, boldly opening the door to a new generation is meaningful."
In fact, as voices within the party have emerged calling for Representative Lee not to run in the party convention, the 97 Group seems to have gained momentum for their candidacies. Regarding this, second-term Democratic Party Representative Cho Eung-cheon explained on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "Even for the party leadership, it doesn't work if one person alone raises the banner saying 'I should do it.' To some extent, people with intentions need to say, 'Why don't you try this time?' and endorse the candidate for it to come together naturally." However, he suggested that "In the case of Representative Lee Jae-myung, everything was already established through the presidential election, but for the 97 Group, this is the process of starting from scratch," implying that their challenge is not an easy one.
Meanwhile, other 97 Group members such as Representatives Park Ju-min, Kang Hoon-sik, and Jeon Jae-soo have also expressed their intention to announce their candidacy decisions within next week. Representative Park said to reporters at the National Assembly on the same day, "I will make a decision on whether or not to run by Monday or Tuesday at the latest next week," adding, "If I run in this party convention, it is necessary to finalize what meaning it will hold."
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