Amid the escalating judicial risks and the party's internal strife following the arrest consent bill incident, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has carried out a significant reshuffle of party positions, including members from the non-Myeong (非明) faction. The pro-Myeong (親明) faction highly praised the move, saying "everything except the wife was changed," but the non-Myeong faction expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that appointed officials involved in shielding the leader were not replaced. The party's 'unified front' remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Pro-Myeong faction member Kim Du-kwan, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on the 28th on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "Lee appointed Song Gap-seok, a two-term lawmaker from Gwangju who had criticized the leader, as a Supreme Council member, and appointed Han Byung-do, former senior secretary for political affairs under the Moon Jae-in administration, as head of the Strategic Planning Committee, and Kwon Chil-seung as the new chief spokesperson," adding, "This shows traces of Lee's careful consideration," praising the recent party position reshuffle.
Kim said, "From Lee's perspective, it seems like a decision to change everything except the wife," and added, "Lee made a very thoughtful and balanced appointment, and I think our lawmakers and party members should observe a bit more and fix any issues if they arise."
Pro-Myeong Supreme Council member Jeong Cheong-rae also said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "It's like incorporating someone who had called for Lee Jae-myung's resignation into Lee's leadership," and added, "So from the non-Myeong faction's perspective, it's a good thing. They now have people who represent their views," emphasizing that this personnel move was considerate of the non-Myeong faction.
Kim Min-seok, newly appointed chair of the Policy Committee and a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "There can be no one who is 100% satisfied, nor anyone who says it's a complete failure, so the general consensus is that the reshuffle aimed to be more integrative and balanced. This is the majority's evaluation," reflecting the party atmosphere.
However, there are criticisms that the reshuffle was only a 'half-hearted' balance because it did not replace Cho Jung-sik, the party secretary-general who holds significant influence over nominations. Notably, Secretary-General Cho was a leading figure in shielding the leader. Non-Myeong faction member Cho Eung-cheon, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on YTN's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon,' "Some seem to think this reshuffle was to quell the non-Myeong faction's anxiety and dissatisfaction, but the biggest problem in our party right now is the leader's judicial risk and the shielding frame," adding, "All appointed and designated officials who contributed to solidifying the shielding image must step down."
Cho criticized, "The secretary-general held a press briefing on Sunday to criticize the prosecution's investigation and defend the leader multiple times. He took the lead in shielding," and said, "No matter how much I think about it, I have never seen a secretary-general take such a leading role in protecting the party leader personally." He also pointed out that not replacing Seo Eun-sook, a Supreme Council member (appointed) who was involved in shielding, is also problematic.
Non-Myeong faction member Lee Sang-min, who appeared on YTN's 'News Frontline' the day before, said, "Since the secretary-general operates according to the leader's will, the fact that there was no change there suggests that there will be no change in the party's future operations or various policies," adding, "The secretary-general played a very significant role in fostering the negative image of the party as a shielding party, and the fact that he was retained without any consideration indicates that both the leader himself and the party's overall stance remain unchanged."
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