Son Hak-kyu "Lee Jae-myung Must Make a Serious Decision"
Growing Pressure on Lee... Emphasizes 'Unity for General Election Victory'
Lee Nak-yeon New Party Formation Rumors Also Deemed "Unlikely"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, hastily moved to quell internal conflicts as the party's divisions intensified ahead of next year's general election. The party's Wonro group, centered around former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, hinted at the formation of a 'new party' and increased criticism of Lee's leadership. Meanwhile, Lee's hardline supporters responded with a 'petition for expulsion,' signaling signs of a potential party split. However, the Wonro group continues to urge Lee to make a "significant decision," suggesting that internal strife is likely to persist.
On the 6th, Son Hak-kyu, senior advisor at the East Asia Future Foundation, stated on CBS Radio, "Leader Lee Jae-myung must make a significant decision for the country." Son criticized, "Because of him (Lee), the Democratic Party is shackled by so-called judicial risks and cannot do anything. Although there are hardline supporters outside the National Assembly, there are also many outrageous remarks within it. Politics should have dignity, but that dignity has been completely destroyed." This was interpreted as pressure on Lee to resign from his leadership position.
Son Hak-kyu, Standing Advisor of the East Asia Future Foundation, is holding a press conference on election systems at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 4th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
Regarding the party faction's claim of "lack of alternatives to Lee Jae-myung," he raised his voice, saying, "Is there no one in the party who can be the leader?" and "In the current system, no one can speak out against the party or Leader Lee Jae-myung (which is why they say there are no alternatives)."
This criticism came after Lee emphasized "politics of integration" targeting his hardline supporters the previous day and deleted the expulsion petition post against former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon from the party's website.
Park Sung-joon, Democratic Party spokesperson, told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting that day, "(The expulsion petition post) was recognized as a significantly harmful factor causing internal division and hindering our path toward unity," adding, "Both the party leader and the party took measures."
The petition was posted on the party member bulletin board on the 3rd. It demanded the expulsion of former leader Lee Nak-yeon and briefly surpassed 20,000 signatures on the 5th. In response, Lee Nak-yeon said, "If party members do so and the party decides, I must comply," which was interpreted in political circles as implying the formation of a 'new party.'
In response, Lee Jae-myung wrote on his Facebook the previous day, "To revive the broken democracy and restore people's livelihoods, we must mobilize all available resources," adding, "We need politics of integration and unity, not exclusion." This was interpreted as an intention to embrace former leader Lee Nak-yeon and his supporters. It was also seen as a discouragement of Lee Nak-yeon's move toward forming a new party.
Recently, as senior figures in the Democratic Party, following former leader Lee Nak-yeon, have criticized Lee Jae-myung's leadership, the pressure on Lee has increased. On the 28th of last month, Lee Nak-yeon directly criticized Lee Jae-myung during the keynote speech at the 'Korea, Beyond Crisis to a New Path' forum held by the Lee Nak-yeon faction think tank 'Solidarity and Coexistence' at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, stating that internal democracy is collapsing due to leadership and the influence of hardline supporters.
Lee Nak-yeon particularly opposed Lee Jae-myung's recent suggestion of returning to a "parallel voting system" by saying, "What use is it to lose stylishly?" Along with former leaders Kim Boo-kyum, Chung Sye-kyun, and Son Hak-kyu, he argued, "The parallel voting system will severely exacerbate political polarization." Lee had previously criticized the creation of 'satellite parties' through trickery and promised electoral reform, so this was seen as a betrayal. It appears that the disadvantage of the parallel voting system also played a role in the consideration of forming a new party in response to Lee's judicial risks.
However, the pro-Lee faction views the possibility of Lee Jae-myung forming a new party as low. Kim Young-jin, director of political coordination for Lee Jae-myung, appeared on MBC Radio and said about the rumors of Lee Nak-yeon forming a new party, "It is unlikely to happen realistically," expressing very low chances.
He explained, "I don't think Lee Nak-yeon is in a situation to design and push for a new party, nor does he intend to. The current Democratic Party has developed through former presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in. He served as party leader and prime minister in that context, so I believe he will 'go together' with that spirit and direction, and thus probably won't consider a new party."
Regarding the recent rise of the so-called 'Three Prime Ministers Alliance' involving Lee Nak-yeon, Kim Boo-kyum, and Chung Sye-kyun, he said, "The common link among the three former prime ministers is that they served as prime ministers during the Moon Jae-in administration and were the Democratic Party's most important assets, and they worry most about the party. But a new party is a different matter," adding, "To win the general election, it is necessary for everyone to unite. I agree with that spirit, so I believe Lee Jae-myung, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, and former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will each perform well according to their roles."
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