Rising 'Lee Jae-myung October Resignation Rumor'... Democratic Party Calls It "Absurd"

Woo Sang-ho "Laughed a lot after hearing the story"
Kim Du-kwan, also mentioned as party leader candidate, dismisses October convention rumors

As the prosecution is expected to request an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, in August, judicial risks have surfaced, bringing the so-called 'Lee Jae-myung October Resignation Rumor' into the spotlight. The rumor suggests that Lee will resign in October and elect a new leadership to prepare for next year's general election. Although the Democratic Party denied this as "absurd talk," the controversy has not easily subsided.

Recently, a rumor has emerged that Lee will step down after Chuseok and hold a party convention to contest the general election under a new leadership system. Kim Du-kwan, a member of the National Assembly, has been mentioned as his successor, and discussions about transferring party leadership to him have reportedly taken place.

This information was revealed by Jang Sung-chul, director of the Public Opinion Center. On the 28th, on MBC Radio's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Match,' Director Jang said, "It is already believed that Lee will resign after Chuseok, in October," adding, "This is necessary for the party to win next year's general election. If I keep holding on and lose the election, both I and the party will perish, and the progressive camp will collapse. Therefore, I decided to push for Representative K as the party leader."

He continued, "About 40 lawmakers have now united with one purpose. So this movement will soon become active, and the trend will emerge."

Despite numerous unfavorable issues for the government and ruling party, such as the recent disaster caused by heavy rain, the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima, and allegations of preferential treatment for First Lady Kim Keon-hee on the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, the Democratic Party's approval ratings did not benefit from any spillover effects. Moreover, there is a rumor that the prosecution will request an arrest warrant for Lee next month, the so-called 'August Warrant Rumor.' This has led to a sense of crisis that it will be difficult to contest next year's general election under the current circumstances, prompting discussions about changing the party leadership.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the Democratic Party expressed skepticism about the source of the resignation rumor and dismissed it as "absurd talk." Kim Young-jin, a Democratic Party lawmaker and head of the Political Coordination Office in the party leader's office, said on KBS Radio on the 31st, "If about 40 lawmakers had agreed, I would probably be included, but I have never once discussed such a thing," and criticized, "It is inappropriate to summon Director Jang's 'hearsay' or stories told at drinking parties as fictional political narratives."

Lawmaker Woo Sang-ho also said, "Replacing the leader of a political party just because the approval rating came out low in a poll is unthinkable." Woo appeared on the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Hard News Factory' that day and said, "Director Jang is not a member of the Democratic Party, so it is absurd to listen to his stories about the party," adding, "I laughed a lot after hearing that story."

Woo continued, "There were discussions within the party surrounding the recent rejection of the arrest motion, but generally, there is a consensus to give Lee a chance and wait until the end of this year," adding, "Even those who had previously advocated for Lee's resignation have agreed not to bring it up until the end of the year. So I was quite surprised by the sudden resignation rumor. Especially when there were talks about who the alternative would be, I thought the basic manners in Yeouido's political circles have really deteriorated these days."

Kim Du-kwan, who was mentioned as an alternative after Lee's resignation, also said, "I have never heard of such a thing." Kim said on SBS Radio that day, "If such a big plan had been drawn up, it would have officially spread as a rumor in Yeouido," and added, "The resignation rumor assumes a party convention in October, but I think that possibility is very low."