Deaths of Lee Jae-myung's Close Associates Spark "Party Leader Responsibility" Claims... Democratic Party's Internal Conflict Intensifies

Scream-type Lawmaker Jeon Hae-cheol "Look Around Lee Jae-myung's Circle"
Kim Hae-young and Others "Feel Shame and Despair" Offensive
Pro-Lee Jeong Cheong-rae "Leader Lee is the Democratic Party's Flag" Unity

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is facing internal calls for accountability following the successive deaths of his close aides. Amid growing demands for reform from the Bi-myeong (anti-Lee Jae-myung) faction, the leadership has avoided mentioning any party position reshuffles, but the Chin-myeong (pro-Lee Jae-myung) faction is emphasizing unity, calling "Leader Lee Jae-myung the flag of the Democratic Party," intensifying internal party conflicts.

Jeon Hae-cheol, a Democratic Party lawmaker from the Bi-myeong faction, appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" on the morning of the 13th and said, "It is regrettable, but Leader Lee also needs to take a closer look around him and carefully examine why such unfortunate incidents keep happening to these people, what difficulties they faced, and why they had no choice but to make such decisions." This came as a warning voice regarding the deaths of five close aides to Lee, including Jeon Hyeong-su (65), who was found dead on the 10th; Jeon had served as Lee's chief secretary during his time as governor of Gyeonggi Province.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Jeon stated, "As party leader, I think it is necessary to take responsibility, closely monitor such situations, and prepare countermeasures accordingly," indirectly raising the issue of Lee's accountability.

Within the party, concerns are growing over the prolonged judicial risks facing Lee ahead of next year's general election. Former Supreme Council member Kim Hae-young warned on Facebook the day before, saying, "As a party member, I feel endless shame and despair that a figure like Leader Lee is the head of the Democratic Party," and added, "If the party continues to shield Lee Jae-myung under these circumstances, the Democratic Party's life will come to an end." Earlier, Bi-myeong faction lawmaker Yoon Young-chan also expressed doubts, asking, "What could have been the cause that drove those people to such pain that they had to give up their one and only life and leave their families, the reason for their existence?"

There have also been calls, mainly from the Bi-myeong faction, to replace key party positions such as the Secretary-General and the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Some reports suggest that the leadership is considering partial party position reshuffles.

A first-term Democratic Party lawmaker said, "It is true that the death of the former chief secretary during Leader Lee's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province negatively affected public opinion," and added, "(Some talk about candidate nominations) The issue is not about nominations at all; the problem is whether the Democratic Party can even contest next year's election under these circumstances." The lawmaker also noted that Lee "should refine and condense his remarks more, but he is saying too many things," and predicted "significant confusion within the party."

At the party's Supreme Council meeting that day, Lee did not address internal concerns, continuing his government criticism on issues such as the third-party compensation proposal for Japan's forced mobilization and the economic crisis. Other leaders only urged party unity. However, Supreme Council member Jung Cheong-rae emphasized at the meeting, "Leader Lee is the flag and symbol of the Democratic Party," and said, "If we unite, we can win the general election and reclaim the government."

Senior spokesperson Ahn Ho-young drew a line during a back briefing after the meeting regarding reporters' questions about party position reshuffles, saying, "There was nothing specifically reported."