[Private Residence Politics] Will Pyeongsan Village Remain a Quiet Bookstore?

④Democratic Party Hub 'Pyeongsan Maeul'
"I want to run a bookstore and read books together"
Another Potential Political Base Ahead of the General Election

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Kang Joo-hee]

Editor's NoteEvery year at the start of the new year, the residences of political leaders become bustling with visitors. During the era of factional politics and even afterward, key figures in Korean politics gathered there. The areas where these residences are located have themselves become proper nouns, forming a pillar of politics. Over five installments, we analyze the 'Private Residence Politics' centered around the homes of former presidents such as Donggyo-dong, Sangdo-dong, Bongha Village, Pyeongsan Village, as well as Dalseong County and Nonhyeon-dong.

"I also plan to run a bookstore, recommend books, and read together."

Former President Moon Jae-in shared this plan in an interview with The Hankyoreh published on the 16th. He had a three-hour interview with Kim Un-ho, CEO of Hangilsa, centered on books. The key point was his intention to open a bookstore in Pyeongsan Village, Yangsan, Gyeongnam, where his private residence is located. Moon, who had dreamed of becoming a legal professional all his life, entered politics in Yeouido in 2011.

"I want to return to nature and live a forgotten, free life." He repeatedly vowed to live a life distanced from politics after stepping down as president. Through the bookstore, Moon plans to engage with local residents and visitors to Pyeongsan Village.

Can such a life free him from the enormous yoke of politics? Moon has over ten years of political experience. He surely knows that politics cannot be separated from human life. Moreover, he reached the highest position of power as president. Even just reading books can be politically interpreted by the public.

Moon said, "Books are the power that realizes democracy." Much is already embedded in the message he conveyed. Although the interview was based on non-political questions, an interview with a former president is inherently political.

Former President Moon Jae-in is meeting with Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, at his private residence in Pyeongsan Village, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongnam on the 2nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

This is also connected to the fate of Pyeongsan Village, which is emerging as a new focal point for the Democratic Party of Korea. Just as Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, was, Pyeongsan Village has become a space that key Democratic Party politicians must visit. On the 2nd, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, visited Pyeongsan Village with party leadership. When a photo of Lee smiling brightly with former President Moon was released, Yeouido was abuzz.

Various political interpretations followed. The act of the Democratic Party detailing the visit to Pyeongsan Village itself is already part of politics. On the 3rd, Moon posted on social media titled "Introducing the members of the Moon Jae-in government," showing bright smiles of senior government officials who served during his administration. Can this be seen merely as a New Year's greeting? Among those in the photo are active politicians.

Regardless of Moon's intentions, he has already stepped into politics. Whether Pyeongsan Village will quietly become a space for reading books together, as Moon envisions, remains to be seen. If prosecutorial investigations intensify toward Moon and his circle, the 'chill of Seocho-dong' could change the landscape of Pyeongsan Village.

With the 22nd general election scheduled for April next year, the political status assigned to Pyeongsan Village is also a subject of interest. The so-called pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) faction has been scattered since the last presidential election. It split into two during the Democratic Party's presidential candidate competition between Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yon. The emotional bitterness surrounding the conflict between the two camps remains among the parties involved and their supporters.

Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung visited former President Moon Jae-in's residence in Pyeongsan Village, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan City, Gyeongnam Province on the 2nd, and shook hands with former President Moon who came out to greet him.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Even if Pyeongsan Village's political status grows, it is expected to form a different picture from Bongha Village, which formed a unified front centered on the pro-Roh faction. Given Moon's characteristics, it is unlikely he will lead political efforts to unify the pro-Moon faction into a single front.

Kim Kyung-soo, former governor of Gyeongnam and a potential leader of the pro-Moon faction, has been pardoned but not reinstated, which is another variable. There are many practical constraints to creating a new flow centered on politician Kim Kyung-soo. However, as the competition for nomination in the general election intensifies, movements in Pyeongsan Village are expected to become a focal point of interest.

People affiliated with Moon may use the fact of visiting Pyeongsan Village in intra-party primaries and the general election. A single photo smiling with former President Moon can be interpreted as a political expression of 'de facto support.'

Former President Moon Jae-in and his wife, along with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, are taking a group photo on the 2nd at Moon's private residence in Pyeongsan Village, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongnam.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Depending on the relationship with the Yoon Seok-youl administration, Pyeongsan Village could also become a political stronghold.

It is also noteworthy that 'Sa-ui-jae,' a policy forum involving key figures from the Moon Jae-in government cabinet and senior Blue House officials, officially launched on the 18th. It was planned to properly evaluate the achievements and failures of the Moon administration, but depending on its activities and direction, it could lead to political controversy.

Just the fact that Sa-ui-jae members frequently visit Pyeongsan Village could lead to various political interpretations ahead of the general election.

Go Min-jung, a former Blue House spokesperson under the Moon administration and a senior member of the Democratic Party (National Assembly member for Gwangjin-gu Eul, Seoul), explained in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "In terms of spatial context, Bongha Village is much larger. Pyeongsan Village is a personal space, a private environment."

However, Go added, "Former President Moon did not want to intervene in practical politics," but also said, "Whether to remove political meaning from Pyeongsan Village or, if it is to be politically interpreted, to allow room for new political significance is something the former president will decide."