"What's the Use of Losing Coolly" Parallel Current Affairs Lee Jae-myung
Lee Tan-hee's Withdrawal Forms a Last Stand "Please Follow Election Law"
The Democratic Party of Korea still has not reached a conclusion regarding the proportional representation system. Opinions are clashing between maintaining the current semi-linked proportional representation system to fulfill the promise of establishing a multi-party system made during the last presidential election, and reverting to the parallel proportional representation system to secure victory in the general election.
Party leader Lee Jae-myung and other party leadership have already hinted at a return to the parallel system for the sake of winning the general election. On the 28th of last month, Lee said on his YouTube broadcast, "Isn't an election about winning? What good is it to lose gracefully?" Similarly, floor leader Hong Ik-pyo stated on CBS Radio on the 5th, "Promises must be kept, but sometimes there are situations where promises cannot be kept."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
However, the Democratic Party failed to reach consensus in two party meetings. At the meeting on the 30th of last month, they only confirmed their differences in stance, and at the meeting on the 14th, voices opposing the return to the parallel system reportedly surged.
Rep. Lee Tan-hee, who opposed the return to the parallel system and took a last-ditch stand by declaring he would not run, is said to have appealed tearfully at the party meeting. On the 13th, he declared he would not run, asking only that the election law be upheld, and he advocates maintaining the semi-linked proportional representation system and introducing laws to prevent satellite parties.
Rep. Lee said, "Keeping the promise of political reform to the people and giving hope, thereby winning the election, is the path to becoming the first party that we so earnestly desire." On the 15th, on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' he said, "We can win the next election by winning all 253 constituencies in the main districts. Losing gracefully would truly be an unforgivable sin in history."
He criticized the compromise proposal under discussion between the ruling and opposition parties, the 'regional parallel proportional representation system,' as "penny wise, pound foolish." Rep. Lee said, "It cannot prevent the current structure of hate politics." He added, "Once a system is introduced where the two major parties together win 290 seats, the purpose and function of politics are lost. There are plenty of ways to consider regional balance and coalition strategies even under the linked proportional representation system."
Rep. Yoon Young-chan, a member of the party's non-mainstream group 'Principles and Common Sense,' pointed out, "This debate already occurred during the 20th National Assembly election, and we ultimately apologized and regretted creating satellite parties," adding, "That discussion is now being repeated exactly the same way."
In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 15th, Rep. Yoon said, "This debate already occurred during the 20th National Assembly election, and we ultimately apologized and regretted creating satellite parties," adding, "That discussion is now being repeated exactly the same way."
He continued, "If everyone gets caught up in the logic of 'We could gain a few seats but are not getting them, so we must win,' can the public trust the Democratic Party? The trust index for the Democratic Party is already low due to multiple broken promises. This must be upheld," he emphasized.
According to Rep. Yoon, the Democratic Party leadership plans to gather consensus on electoral reform by early January next year. This is to process the reform bill at the plenary session of the extraordinary National Assembly convened in early January.
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