4 of 6 Not Running Are First-Termers... 3 Are Recruited Talent
"Cannot Embrace Valuable Assets," "Not Running Relay Embarrassing"
First-term lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea are consecutively announcing their decision not to run in next year's general election. Amid calls for the purge of the 586 generation (people in their 50s, who entered university in the 1980s, and born in the 1960s) and demands for personnel reform, criticism is emerging that it is detrimental to the party for first-term lawmakers, who were selected based on their expertise, to declare their withdrawal from the election.
Among the six lawmakers in the Democratic Party who have declared they will not run in next year's general election, four are first-term incumbents, excluding six-term Park Byeong-seok and four-term Woo Sang-ho.
Hong Seong-guk, an economic expert and former president of Mirae Asset Daewoo, declared on the 13th that he will not run in next year's general election and said he would "return as a futurism researcher." At a press conference that day, he said, "Over the past four years as a member of the National Assembly, I have tried to change our society with a new perspective," adding, "I believed that warning about a great transformation and creating alternatives was the purpose and duty of my political career."
Hong said, "However, due to the limitations of the current backward political structure, I was unable to achieve results. Sometimes even objective arguments were disparaged for party interests and tactics."
On the same day, Lee Tan-hee, a former judge, also announced that he would serve quietly to reform the election law. Opposing a return to the parallel proportional representation system and advocating for the enactment of the 'Satellite Party Prevention Act,' Lee criticized the regressive discussions on the election system by the two major parties at a press conference, appealing, "I will give everything I have and everything I might have. Please just keep the election law."
Earlier, in April, Oh Young-hwan, a former firefighter, and last month, Kang Min-jung, a former teacher, declared they would not run.
Lee Tan-hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is declaring that he will not run in next year's general election at the National Assembly on the 13th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The commonality among lawmakers Hong Seong-guk, Lee Tan-hee, and Oh Young-hwan is that all were recruited as talents in the 21st general election. Kang Min-jung entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative of the Open Democratic Party in the last general election.
Currently, within the Democratic Party, there are calls for the purge of vested 586 generation lawmakers and personnel reform. In this situation, concerns are rising over first-term lawmakers recruited for their expertise, rather than seniority, declaring their withdrawal from the election.
Former party leader Lee Nak-yeon expressed regret on the 14th on KBS's 'Special 1 Radio Today,' saying, "It is truly unfortunate and regrettable that such precious first-term lawmakers have declared their withdrawal first," adding, "How is it that in our political arena, valuable and good people are excluded first, while those who are not continue to endure and try to enter? Is Gresham's Law, where bad money drives out good, now roaming Yeouido?"
Lawmaker Yoon Geon-young also expressed on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "Personally, I feel very sorry and regretful," adding, "Lawmaker Hong is recognized by all as a leading economic expert and a valuable asset of our party, but regardless of the reason, it seems our party failed to properly embrace him. He is a talent we must not lose, so it is truly regrettable."
Oh Young-hwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the morning of April 10th, announcing his decision not to run in the 22nd general election. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Lawmaker Lee Won-wook criticized, "This clearly shows the backwardness of our politics. The space for experts to stand is gradually shrinking."
On the same day, Lee appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and stated, "Economic expert Lawmaker Hong and firefighting expert Lawmaker Oh had a very hard time," adding, "As the purist ideology of the activist faction and hardline purism strengthened, even a slight opposing view was labeled like calling someone a communist after liberation, or calling them a 'watermelon' (a term for someone who is green on the outside but red inside). I was very saddened by this phenomenon."
Lawmaker Song Gap-seok said, "We are seeing a relay of withdrawal declarations from good, principled, and conscientious first-term lawmakers," adding, "The ruling party has senior lawmakers, and our party has first-term lawmakers declaring withdrawal, which is truly embarrassing and ridiculous to see."
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