"Got a Cold but Undergoing Cancer Surgery"… Lee Jae-myung Firmly Refutes Resignation Calls

Kim Young-jin "Sang-min Lee should reflect on himself for responsible politics"
Despite expulsion of abusive hardline party member, Lee Won-wook "Still insufficient"

Amid a series of setbacks including the money envelope scandal and allegations involving lawmaker Kim Nam-guk, the Democratic Party of Korea is showing internal differences in how to manage the situation. While public calls for party leader Lee Jae-myung's responsibility are being raised, disagreements have surfaced regarding the approach to handling the crisis. Opinions also diverge on disciplinary actions such as expelling hardline party members who used abusive language, with some critics demanding 'responsibility' from those calling for Lee's resignation.

On the 24th, Kim Young-jin, a Democratic Party lawmaker and chief of Lee’s political coordination office, appeared on YTN Radio’s "Park Ji-hoon’s News King" and criticized calls for Lee’s resignation. Regarding the calls for Lee to step down, Kim said, "Isn’t it a claim that because there were problems in handling issues like the money envelope scandal and lawmaker Kim Nam-guk, he should resign? Diagnosis and treatment must be clear. In my view, when you have a cold, you prescribe cold medicine, and when you have cancer, you perform surgery. If you perform cancer surgery on a cold patient, the person dies. We need to prepare measures based on investigation, so I think these claims are somewhat excessive."

Kim added, "Those making such claims seem to be trapped in the swamp of their own logic. We need to think for ourselves about what and how we will act in terms of responsible politics in the direction that all Democratic Party lawmakers, party members, and the public desire. It is necessary to first contemplate and raise issues."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Lee Sang-min, a five-term Democratic Party lawmaker, said in an interview with YTN Radio’s "Shin Yul’s News Face-off" on the 22nd, "Given that Lee Jae-myung is facing judicial risks, it is inappropriate for him to serve as party leader. Since he is undoubtedly a heavy burden on the party, I believe it is right for him to resign."

Regarding suggestions such as abolishing the delegate system as a solution to the money envelope scandal, Kim said, "In the past, 15,000 delegates were supposed to be equivalent to 1.2 million party members. We want to examine whether this equivalence and equality are truly appropriate." He explained, "We do not see this as a core issue of overall party reform but rather as one of several important matters to discuss."

On the issue of the hardline supporters known as "Gaeddal" and the recent expulsion of a hardline party member who used abusive language, when asked whether this was an effort to enforce discipline and cut ties with the hardline supporters, Kim responded, "I think both are true. Because freedom of expression exists, I fundamentally support allowing such freedom and claims. The claims are legitimate, but if they turn into personal insults, abusive language, or criticism that is not constructive, the party leader’s stance is to take firm action against behavior that crosses the line."

Kim said, "A fight by everyone against everyone has no solution. It is necessary to clearly point out the problematic areas, resolve them, institutionalize and improve systems, and then create measures to prevent recurrence. This requires a step-by-step approach?phase one, two, and three?to solve the issues."

However, criticism remains that this response stance is still insufficient.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Won-wook said on SBS Radio’s "Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show," "While it can be seen as somewhat positive, disciplining a few members and taking action against some party members will not solve the problem. If we need to take a thousand steps to break ties with the hardline fandom, we have only taken about one step."

Lee also emphasized that measures should be taken not only against abusive language but also against text message bombings. He pointed out, "The expelled party member was problematic because of abusive language sent, but other messages can continue to be sent freely. As long as the attitude is polite, there is no basis for punishment."

As a solution to the hardline supporter issue, Lee argued, "If there is truly sincere leadership, Lee Jae-myung should resign as the village chief of Jaemyeong’s village and declare a break from the hardline fandom."