168 Democratic Party Lawmakers Classified by Ideology 'Dangdo'
"Dangdo 5 Includes Straight-Talking Figures... Will They Contest the General Election?"
Among the strong supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea, a so-called 'Watermelon Party Loyalty Identification List' is circulating, listing a total of 168 Democratic Party lawmakers and assessing their tendencies. The term "watermelon" means "Democratic Party on the outside, People Power Party on the inside," and is used among strong supporters to disparage the non-Lee Jae-myung faction within the Democratic Party.
The list was reported by the online media outlet The Tamza on the 2nd under the title "Democratic Party Watermelon Identifier: Watermelon Identification." The classification criteria presented by The Tamza are ▲non-participation in the impeachment proposal of the prosecutor ▲waiver of non-arrest ▲opposition to the one delegate one vote system ▲The Path of the Democratic Party ▲Democracy 4.0 ▲floor leadership, totaling six categories. One point is given for each criterion met, and this is recorded as the "party loyalty" score.
On August 3, 2021, watermelons awaiting auction are displayed at the Garak Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
The list classified five lawmakers?Kang Byung-won, Kim Jong-min, Yoon Young-chan, Choi Jong-yoon, and Hong Young-pyo?with a party loyalty score of 5. Seven lawmakers including Kim Young-bae, Park Yong-jin, Yang Ki-dae, Oh Ki-hyung, Lee Yong-woo, Lee Won-wook, and Cho Eung-cheon were listed with a party loyalty score of 4.
Party loyalty 3 includes 16 lawmakers such as Park Kwang-on and Jeon Hae-cheol, while party loyalty 2 includes Supreme Council member Ko Min-jung and floor spokesperson Kim Han-gyu. There are 54 lawmakers with party loyalty 1.
On the other hand, 66 lawmakers including party leader Lee Jae-myung, Kim Ui-gyeom, Park Chan-dae, Jung Chung-rae, and Woo Won-shik were classified with a party loyalty score of 0.
List of 'Democratic Party Watermelon Identifier: Watermelon Identification' by internet media 'The TamSa'. [Image source=YouTube 'The TamSa' video capture]
In political circles, the strong supporters' efforts to root out the non-Lee Jae-myung faction within the Democratic Party have been criticized.
On the 5th, Cho Won-jin, leader of the Our Republican Party, appeared on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" and said, "The people with the highest party loyalty score of 5, the watermelon party loyalty, are the ones the public sees as the most acceptable," adding, "That's the problem. All the people who speak the truth are included there. Can they organize and fight the general election like that?"
He also said, "When the opposition party changes, the ruling party also changes," and "It would be better to show a newer form of politics."
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