Bimyeong Faction "Lee Jae-myung Responsibility Theory"
Pro-Lee Faction "Prosecutors' Coercive Investigation... Responsibility Theory Is Not the Essence"
Amid internal strife within the Democratic Party caused by the 'mass opposition votes' during the rejection of the arrest motion for Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, attention is focused on whether this internal conflict will intensify following the recent death of a close aide to Lee. The pro-Lee faction uniformly blames the 'prosecutors' coercive investigation,' while the anti-Lee faction points out the prosecutors' faults but also mentions Lee's responsibility.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending a meeting held on the 9th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, aimed at eradicating school violence and supporting victim recovery. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
On the 13th, Jeon Hae-cheol, a pro-Moon Democratic Party lawmaker, said on MBC's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" that "the prosecution's investigation is excessive, but Lee should also take a closer look around him to understand why such tragic incidents keep happening with these people, what difficulties they are facing, and why they had no choice but to make such decisions. It is necessary to carefully examine and consider these matters."
Regarding the death by suicide of Jeon, a close aide during Lee's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, some within the anti-Lee faction in the party are raising questions of responsibility. Former lawmaker Kim Hae-young, an anti-Lee figure, wrote on social media the day before, "As a party member, I feel endless shame and despair that a person like Lee Jae-myung is the leader of the Democratic Party," and criticized, "If the party continues to 'shield Lee Jae-myung' even in the current situation, the Democratic Party's life will come to an end." Yoon Young-chan, a lawmaker classified as part of the 'Lee Nak-yeon faction,' also stated on Facebook, "If Lee himself or those around him caused any burden to the deceased, the leader should bear moral responsibility."
Jeon did not fully agree with the 'responsibility theory' but urged Lee to take responsibility and prepare countermeasures. He said, "It is difficult for me to agree because it is unclear what responsibility means and how it should be carried out," but added, "it is true that the public feels great sorrow and suspicion about these incidents, so as party leader, it is necessary to take more responsibility, closely monitor the situation, and prepare appropriate responses."
Anti-Lee lawmaker Kang Hoon-sik also emphasized on YTN's "News King with Park Ji-hoon" that while the prosecution's harsh investigation is the cause of death, the emergence of 'Lee Jae-myung responsibility theory' reflects a crisis of trust within the party. He said, "When we issued our statement, we requested that the leader actively step forward to resolve the party's distrust and promote innovation, focusing on those aspects," and added, "Since the leader holds the greatest responsibility, I hope he will responsibly work to resolve distrust among lawmakers and issues related to him."
On the other hand, the pro-Lee faction is drawing a line against the responsibility theory, claiming 'judicial murder.' Kim Nam-guk, a pro-Lee Democratic Party lawmaker, dismissed the 'Lee Jae-myung responsibility theory' on MBC Radio, saying, "Isn't this about picking at side issues rather than the essence? Naturally, the person who would be most saddened and heartbroken by this is the leader himself, Lee Jae-myung," rejecting the responsibility claims.
He added, "The essence of this issue is the coercive investigation that continues to pressure a public servant who was simply doing his job diligently," and said, "It is right for us to criticize and scrutinize this, but politically shifting this to calls for the leader to step down is an inappropriate criticism."
Democratic Party spokesperson Park Sung-jun also emphasized unity, stating, "The prosecution is conducting an excessive investigation into policies implemented to continue proper administration and governance, questioning the involved parties as if there is wrongdoing," and added, "at this point, as a party member and lawmaker, the Democratic Party must stand united and confront this boldly."
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