Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Jong-min, Lee Won-wook, and Cho Eung-cheon declared their resignation from the party on the 10th. They, who were members of the 'Principles and Common Sense' faction, announced their joint departure at a press conference held at the National Assembly that day. They stated, "Under the current Lee Jae-myung system, we cannot hold the Yoon administration accountable," adding, "With only the entrenched two major parties, no matter who comes to power or who becomes the majority, we cannot escape the vicious cycle of unilateral rule and blind opposition. A new political force that transcends factional logic and discerns right from wrong is absolutely necessary."
![[Full Text] Kim Jong-min, Lee Won-wook, Jo Eung-cheon Declare Departure from Democratic Party: "We Will Open a New Path with Principles and Common Sense"](https://cphoto.asiae.co.kr/listimglink/1/2024011010090724595_1704848947.jpg)
Members of the Democratic Party's non-Lee Jae-myung faction group 'Principles and Common Sense,' Kim Jong-min (from left), Lee Won-wook, and Cho Eung-cheon, are holding a press conference on leaving the party at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
They said, "To change the world, we must move toward politics of national integration that harnesses the people's capabilities, politics of solidarity and coalition," and added, "'Principles and Common Sense' will become a platform where all like-minded individuals can come together and open a forum for future discussions." Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Young-chan, who was also part of Principles and Common Sense, declared his intention to remain through social media (SNS) on the same day.
Below is the full text of their resignation declaration.
We raise objections to Korean politics. We will open a new path. First, we offer our condolences to Representative Lee Jae-myung, who has suffered great physical and emotional wounds from unjust political terrorism. We wish him a speedy recovery.
1. Why are we taking this path?
Today, we leave the Democratic Party and throw ourselves into the greater sea of public sentiment. "We raise objections to Korean politics. Is this politics? How can this be politics? If there are objections, there must be debates. Where is politics without debate and persuasion? Is there such politics without debate and persuasion?" These were the words Roh Moo-hyun shouted while opposing the three-party merger. We have only replaced the word 'meeting' in Roh Moo-hyun's desperate cry with 'politics.' This is how the three of us feel.
Why are we taking this path? If we had considered political gains and losses, we would not have taken this path. Fighting Lee Jae-myung's politics is not our goal either. The most fundamental reason we decided to take this path is conscience. We can no longer endure silently and be dragged along by this abnormal politics. It is because of public sentiment. More than one-third of the people feel they cannot choose either side, and politics must respond to this. We must hold the Yoon Seok-youl administration accountable for its arrogance, unilateral rule, incompetence, and irresponsibility.
However, under the current Lee Jae-myung system, we cannot hold the Yoon administration accountable. Although 60% of the public opposes the Yoon administration, only half of that supports the Democratic Party. The remaining 30% of the people say that even though the Yoon administration is failing, they will not support the Democratic Party. Yet, the Democratic Party remains unmoved, simply calling for unity centered on Lee Jae-myung. Ultimately, it will fail to hold the Yoon administration accountable. We appealed to break away from the bulletproof party, hegemonic party, and fandom party, but were rejected. The three leaders gave sincere advice, but there was no genuine response. We were disheartened by the attitude toward the election law issue.
"It is more important to move toward a multi-party democracy than for me to become president," said Representative Lee himself. There were resolutions at the party caucus and the party convention. If this promise is overturned for election gains and losses, political trust will be destroyed. Someone must break down the high walls of entrenched politics and carve out a path. We are not stepping forward because we bear no responsibility for entrenched politics. We are trying to fulfill our responsibility in this way. We do not know how far we will pave the way, but if we can at least create a path that new successors can continue, it will be worthwhile.
Fifty percent of public sentiment says a new party is needed. Distrust of entrenched politics has already passed the tipping point. The driving force for innovation within established parties has vanished. The totalitarian entrenched two-party system cannot accommodate the changed Korean society and civic consciousness. We must now move toward a multi-party democracy. With only the entrenched two major parties, no matter who governs or who becomes the majority, we cannot escape the vicious cycle of unilateral rule and blind opposition. A new political force that transcends factional logic and discerns right from wrong is absolutely necessary.
2. What is the problem?
Korean politics has failed. It has failed to change the world and the lives of the people. While it has been good at fighting opponents, it has failed to engage in dialogue and cooperation to unite the community's capabilities. This is due to winner-takes-all politics. Winner-takes-all presidents, winner-takes-all two-party legislature, winner-takes-all party leaders?politics dominated by monopolization and unilateral rule is operating in unison. We cannot escape the swamp of the vicious cycle of unilateral rule and obstruction.
Winner-takes-all is not a rule of civilization. It is a rule of the jungle. It is the rule of monarchy, dictatorship, and imperialism, not of a democratic republic. Despite wins and losses, despite differences, dialogue, coexistence, and cooperation are civilization and democracy. The winner-takes-all, unified '5·16 system' can no longer lead Korea. It cannot solve the insecure society of survival of the fittest, unequal livelihoods, and political polarization. It cannot handle the economic scale, social diversity, and heightened civic consciousness. It cannot overcome the crisis of global transformation.
In the 2022 presidential election, the people chose two candidates untainted by Yeouido politics to judge entrenched politics. However, both Yoon Seok-youl's and Lee Jae-myung's politics have failed. Over the past two years, our people have witnessed the worst winner-takes-all entrenched politics they have never experienced before. The constitutionally guaranteed presidential veto power is being used to block investigations into family members, and the constitutionally guaranteed parliamentary immunity is being used for personal legal defense.
Someone must break this trend. We must dismantle the bulletproof, hegemonic, hostile, incompetent, monopolistic, and unilateral entrenched politics. Without changing this hostile, confrontational winner-takes-all jungle politics, we cannot change the world. We cannot change the anxious and weary lives of each individual driven into polarization and survival of the fittest.
3. We propose a grand reform coalition for the future.
Now, we must abandon the old raft of winner-takes-all and survival of the fittest, put down the stones of anger, and move toward a future of coexistence. We must move from politics that fights to win to politics that changes the world. We must move to politics that solves problems, politics that is competent. The purpose of entrenched politics is merely to win. We ask such entrenched politics again.
"What use is winning?" We want to ask. People's lives are getting harder, our future is more uncertain, the people are more divided, so what use is it to hold power or occupy 200 seats? There must be challenges and decisions to overcome the livelihood crisis of this great transformation. Since industrialization and democratization, Korea has lost its direction.
Conservatives have lost the narrative of industrialization, progressives have lost the narrative of democratization, and politics has ended up relying only on hostility toward the opponent. The times have changed. Now, pluralism, not uniformity, is the spirit of the age. Industrialization was about making a living, democratization was about speaking out, and now we must move toward a society of diverse ways of living. We need a party that proposes new values, new visions, and new policies. It is time to write a new social contract.
To change the world, we must move toward national integration politics that harnesses the people's capabilities, politics of solidarity and coalition. Kim Dae-jung's integration politics overcame the IMF crisis, and the DJP coalition achieved peaceful regime change. The candlelight solidarity and coalition politics judged the national scandal. In world history, great politics were achievements of integration politics and solidarity and coalition politics. Lincoln's integration politics prevented the division of the United States, Roosevelt's integration politics saved America from the Great Depression. Germany's Ostpolitik and reunification, Europe's welfare states and social compromises were also created by solidarity and coalition politics.
We propose a grand reform coalition and future coalition to move toward politics that changes the world. If there is a willingness to relinquish vested interests, we will unite and form coalitions with all forces. We will reorganize the agents of political reform. We will create a new engine for political reform with new forces. will become a platform where all like-minded individuals can come together and open a forum for future discussions. Small streams gather to form a great river. Though it may seem to flow slowly and windingly, it ultimately reaches the sea. We will flow like a river for a world where we live together.
We appeal to all citizens who love the Republic of Korea. Please join forces with us. Please become the conscience that acts together. It is not the numbers that matter, but the aspirations in our hearts. When aspirations gather, a new path will surely open. Thank you.
January 10, 2024
Kim Jong-min, Lee Won-wook, Cho Eung-cheon
1. Why are we taking this path?
Today, we leave the Democratic Party and throw ourselves into the greater sea of public sentiment. "We raise objections to Korean politics. Is this politics? How can this be politics? If there are objections, there must be debates. Where is politics without debate and persuasion? Is there such politics without debate and persuasion?" These were the words Roh Moo-hyun shouted while opposing the three-party merger. We have only replaced the word 'meeting' in Roh Moo-hyun's desperate cry with 'politics.' This is how the three of us feel.
Why are we taking this path? If we had considered political gains and losses, we would not have taken this path. Fighting Lee Jae-myung's politics is not our goal either. The most fundamental reason we decided to take this path is conscience. We can no longer endure silently and be dragged along by this abnormal politics. It is because of public sentiment. More than one-third of the people feel they cannot choose either side, and politics must respond to this. We must hold the Yoon Seok-youl administration accountable for its arrogance, unilateral rule, incompetence, and irresponsibility.
However, under the current Lee Jae-myung system, we cannot hold the Yoon administration accountable. Although 60% of the public opposes the Yoon administration, only half of that supports the Democratic Party. The remaining 30% of the people say that even though the Yoon administration is failing, they will not support the Democratic Party. Yet, the Democratic Party remains unmoved, simply calling for unity centered on Lee Jae-myung. Ultimately, it will fail to hold the Yoon administration accountable. We appealed to break away from the bulletproof party, hegemonic party, and fandom party, but were rejected. The three leaders gave sincere advice, but there was no genuine response. We were disheartened by the attitude toward the election law issue.
"It is more important to move toward a multi-party democracy than for me to become president," said Representative Lee himself. There were resolutions at the party caucus and the party convention. If this promise is overturned for election gains and losses, political trust will be destroyed. Someone must break down the high walls of entrenched politics and carve out a path. We are not stepping forward because we bear no responsibility for entrenched politics. We are trying to fulfill our responsibility in this way. We do not know how far we will pave the way, but if we can at least create a path that new successors can continue, it will be worthwhile.
Fifty percent of public sentiment says a new party is needed. Distrust of entrenched politics has already passed the tipping point. The driving force for innovation within established parties has vanished. The totalitarian entrenched two-party system cannot accommodate the changed Korean society and civic consciousness. We must now move toward a multi-party democracy. With only the entrenched two major parties, no matter who governs or who becomes the majority, we cannot escape the vicious cycle of unilateral rule and blind opposition. A new political force that transcends factional logic and discerns right from wrong is absolutely necessary.
2. What is the problem?
Korean politics has failed. It has failed to change the world and the lives of the people. While it has been good at fighting opponents, it has failed to engage in dialogue and cooperation to unite the community's capabilities. This is due to winner-takes-all politics. Winner-takes-all presidents, winner-takes-all two-party legislature, winner-takes-all party leaders?politics dominated by monopolization and unilateral rule is operating in unison. We cannot escape the swamp of the vicious cycle of unilateral rule and obstruction.
Winner-takes-all is not a rule of civilization. It is a rule of the jungle. It is the rule of monarchy, dictatorship, and imperialism, not of a democratic republic. Despite wins and losses, despite differences, dialogue, coexistence, and cooperation are civilization and democracy. The winner-takes-all, unified '5·16 system' can no longer lead Korea. It cannot solve the insecure society of survival of the fittest, unequal livelihoods, and political polarization. It cannot handle the economic scale, social diversity, and heightened civic consciousness. It cannot overcome the crisis of global transformation.
In the 2022 presidential election, the people chose two candidates untainted by Yeouido politics to judge entrenched politics. However, both Yoon Seok-youl's and Lee Jae-myung's politics have failed. Over the past two years, our people have witnessed the worst winner-takes-all entrenched politics they have never experienced before. The constitutionally guaranteed presidential veto power is being used to block investigations into family members, and the constitutionally guaranteed parliamentary immunity is being used for personal legal defense.
Someone must break this trend. We must dismantle the bulletproof, hegemonic, hostile, incompetent, monopolistic, and unilateral entrenched politics. Without changing this hostile, confrontational winner-takes-all jungle politics, we cannot change the world. We cannot change the anxious and weary lives of each individual driven into polarization and survival of the fittest.
3. We propose a grand reform coalition for the future.
Now, we must abandon the old raft of winner-takes-all and survival of the fittest, put down the stones of anger, and move toward a future of coexistence. We must move from politics that fights to win to politics that changes the world. We must move to politics that solves problems, politics that is competent. The purpose of entrenched politics is merely to win. We ask such entrenched politics again.
"What use is winning?" We want to ask. People's lives are getting harder, our future is more uncertain, the people are more divided, so what use is it to hold power or occupy 200 seats? There must be challenges and decisions to overcome the livelihood crisis of this great transformation. Since industrialization and democratization, Korea has lost its direction.
Conservatives have lost the narrative of industrialization, progressives have lost the narrative of democratization, and politics has ended up relying only on hostility toward the opponent. The times have changed. Now, pluralism, not uniformity, is the spirit of the age. Industrialization was about making a living, democratization was about speaking out, and now we must move toward a society of diverse ways of living. We need a party that proposes new values, new visions, and new policies. It is time to write a new social contract.
To change the world, we must move toward national integration politics that harnesses the people's capabilities, politics of solidarity and coalition. Kim Dae-jung's integration politics overcame the IMF crisis, and the DJP coalition achieved peaceful regime change. The candlelight solidarity and coalition politics judged the national scandal. In world history, great politics were achievements of integration politics and solidarity and coalition politics. Lincoln's integration politics prevented the division of the United States, Roosevelt's integration politics saved America from the Great Depression. Germany's Ostpolitik and reunification, Europe's welfare states and social compromises were also created by solidarity and coalition politics.
We propose a grand reform coalition and future coalition to move toward politics that changes the world. If there is a willingness to relinquish vested interests, we will unite and form coalitions with all forces. We will reorganize the agents of political reform. We will create a new engine for political reform with new forces.
We appeal to all citizens who love the Republic of Korea. Please join forces with us. Please become the conscience that acts together. It is not the numbers that matter, but the aspirations in our hearts. When aspirations gather, a new path will surely open. Thank you.
January 10, 2024
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