Democratic Party Proposes Purging "Embarrassing 586" Entrenched Politicians

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Triggered by Lee Nak-yeon's new party, a debate over the "586 (in their 50s, university class of the 1980s, born in the 1960s) politicians' purge" has ignited within the Democratic Party of Korea. When Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Min-seok criticized Lee Nak-yeon's announcement of forming a new party as a "Sakura (traitor) line," Kim's own history of party defection was brought back into the spotlight, sparking calls for the incumbent power holders to step down.

The anti-Lee Nak-yeon faction criticized Kim Min-seok, one of the 86 politicians within the Democratic Party, accusing him of "Naeronambul (double standards: romance if I do it, adultery if others do it)." Kim had previously left the Democratic Party ahead of the 2002 presidential election to join Chung Mong-joon's camp.

Lee Won-wook, a member of the "Principles and Common Sense" group, stated on social media on the 12th, "We are ashamed for deliberately turning a blind eye to the public demand for the purge of the 86 incumbent politicians," adding, "We are ashamed for plunging the entire political sphere into a swamp of distrust through Naeronambul rather than empathy."

Kim Min-seok, Democratic Party member. [Photo by Yonhap News]

The controversial "Sakura" remark by Kim Min-seok was made on the 11th during an interview on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show." In the interview, Kim targeted former party leader Lee Nak-yeon, saying, "Instead of focusing on the time when we should unite our strength, he diverts criticism to internal party issues and does not clearly understand what the challenges of the era are, which is a typical Sakura line."

The "586 retirement theory" is one of the variables for the April 10 general election next year. In the People Power Party, the Innovation Committee's proposal for "senior lawmakers not to run and to run in difficult districts" materialized with lawmaker Jang Je-won's announcement not to run. Within the Democratic Party, there have also been calls for incumbent lawmakers to step down for the sake of the younger generation.

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sung-joon appeared on SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show" on the 13th and said, "I understand that our party is also seriously considering such matters," adding, "While there is no need to say that (senior lawmakers' non-candidacy announcements will continue), we are thinking about how to capture public sentiment through an overall election strategy."

Former Supreme Council member Park Sung-min said on SBS Radio, "We need to see whether the People Power Party's non-candidacy declarations will lead to a chain reaction," and added, "There will be many questions directed at the Democratic Party now, but what needs to be decided first is the position of leader Kim Gi-hyeon, and I will have more to say after that."