Park Yong-jin's 'Request for Party Meeting', Yoon Young-chan's 'Attack on Lee Jae-myung'
Ends in Amendment Debate Instead of Vision Competition
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Controversy is heating up in the Democratic Party of Korea ahead of the revision of 'Party Charter Article 80.' In particular, as the party leadership candidates ahead of the party convention strongly oppose the revision, criticism is emerging that all issues are being focused solely on Article 80 of the party charter.
Park Yong-jin, a candidate for party leader, issued a statement on the 12th, saying, "Revising the party charter is like changing the constitution of the party," and demanded open debates and a meeting of party lawmakers. He criticized, "The Democratic Party's Article 80 of the party charter, which is currently controversial, contains the spirit and values of our Democratic Party that resolutely confront corruption, just like Article 96 of the party charter," adding, "Such a significant change cannot be finalized by the party convention preparation committee and put to a vote without open internal party discussions."
It is reported that on the 13th, candidate Park sent a text message to Democratic Party lawmakers asking them to gather opinions regarding the revision of Article 80 of the party charter.
Candidate Kang Hoon-sik also said on the 9th during a debate on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "If party members have raised concerns, it is necessary to discuss it," and added, "At least, it is appropriate to wait until the first trial verdict." On the 5th, he proposed a compromise on Facebook, stating, "The most reasonable revision plan is to suspend party positions if a guilty verdict is handed down in the first trial."
Among the candidates for Supreme Council member, the controversy is also intense. The first to speak out was candidate Yoon Young-chan. On the 6th, he targeted candidate Lee Jae-myung on Facebook, saying, "An individual's judicial issue should not drag the entire party into a quagmire." Then, at a joint speech held on the 13th at the Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center, candidate Yoon raised his voice, saying, "Who is the revision of Article 80 for?" and "They say it's not a discussion for one person. If the election of candidates Park Yong-jin and Kang Hoon-sik was likely, would there have been a discussion about revising the party charter?"
Candidate Ko Young-in also mentioned this, saying, "We must not forget. During the Seoul and Busan by-elections, the party was the main opposition, but it fell into the sweet temptation of not fielding candidates, which resulted in a disastrous defeat," referring to the revision of the party charter at the time of the by-elections to allow candidates to run.
With less than a month left until the party convention, candidates are particularly vocal about internal party issues. These include candidate Lee's 'party factionalization controversy' and discussions about revising the party platform. Especially as the revision of Article 80 of the party charter has emerged as a key issue, there are also criticisms that it has become a tool for 'primary election marketing.'
However, in a situation where the 'expanded consensus (definitely Lee Jae-myung as party leader)' structure is becoming clear, it seems difficult to gain public interest beyond contentious issues. On the 11th, candidate Kang said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "A person named Kang Hoon-sik must launch the vision and future of the Democratic Party like an airplane taking off from a runway," presenting the vision of a 'new and young ruling party,' but attention is focused only on unification and the revision of Article 80 of the party charter.
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