Jung Sye-kyun and Kim Boo-kyum Criticize 'Lee Jae-myung Nomination'... "Undermines Objectivity"

"Lee Must Set Aside Small Gains and Fairly Nominate"
Former National Assembly Speakers Including Moon Hee-sang Also Concerned About Nomination Turmoil

Senior members of the Democratic Party of Korea, including former Prime Ministers Jeong Sye-kyun and Kim Boo-kyum, publicly expressed concerns over the controversy surrounding private recommendations centered on leader Lee Jae-myung. As the general election approaches, the 'nomination turmoil' has escalated into divisions including party defections, prompting sharp criticism.

On the afternoon of the 21st, former Prime Ministers Jeong Sye-kyun and Kim Boo-kyum issued a statement saying, "The Democratic Party's nominations are embroiled in numerous controversies," and criticized, "We cannot help but worry that the system nominations, democratic principles, and objectivity repeatedly emphasized by leader Lee Jae-myung are being undermined." They added, "We hope that leader Lee Jae-myung and the party leadership return to their original intentions," and urged, "They must set aside minor interests for the victory in the general election."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving a greeting speech at the welcoming ceremony for Kim Yong-man, the 8th recruited talent and director of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea Memorial Project Association, held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Kim, who was recruited as talent on this day, is the great-grandson of Baekbeom Kim Gu. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

They continued, "If the party becomes divided and loses mutual trust during the nomination process as it is now, it will also lose the people's hearts," and warned, "Losing the people's hearts means handing over the legislature, and during the remaining three years of the Yoon Seok-youl prosecution government, our Democratic Party will become sinners before the people."

In particular, they emphasized, "Nominations must be transparent, fair, and meet the people's expectations even at this stage," and warned, "Otherwise, we cannot gain the people's support in this general election." They also stated, "We want to be even a small help for the Democratic Party's victory in the general election, but if leader Lee Jae-myung and the party leadership do not correct the current situation, it will be difficult for us to find a role to contribute," repeatedly urging Lee to make a decisive move.

Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum held a private meeting during the day with former National Assembly Speakers Lim Chae-jung, Kim Won-ki, and Moon Hee-sang to discuss leader Lee Jae-myung's 'unfair nomination' issue. It is reported that the party elders expressed deep concern over the escalation of Lee's private recommendation controversy into division movements such as defections. Former Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun, currently staying in the United States, did not attend the meeting but conveyed his intention to 'share the same will.'

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The centrifugal force is growing as the Democratic Party began notifying incumbent lower-ranked members, effectively 'nomination exclusion,' on the 19th. On the first day of notification, Kim Young-joo, a four-term National Assembly Deputy Speaker classified as part of the 'Jeong Sye-kyun faction,' rejected the bottom 20% result and declared his defection. The day before, Park Yong-jin and Yoon Young-chan, considered part of the non-Lee faction, publicly criticized the 'Lee Jae-myung factionalization' issue in response to being notified as part of the bottom 10%.

Even on this day, observations that many non-Lee faction lawmakers were included in the 'bottom list' are increasingly confirmed, as lawmaker Song Gap-seok protested the bottom 20% result, and Park Young-soon and Kim Han-jung protested the bottom 10% results. During the morning's convened lawmakers' meeting, issues were raised regarding opinion polls with unclear sponsors, but leader Lee Jae-myung did not appear at the meeting.