Why the Democratic Party's 'Nomination Turmoil' Is Spreading [Political Talk]

Controversy Over Nomination Transparency, Growing Distrust in Political Parties
Political Apathy May Increase

The list of 'bottom 20% incumbent evaluations' subject to the Democratic Party's general election nomination penalty (point deduction) has been released, sparking widespread controversy over fairness. Many of the lawmakers included in the bottom 20% have been at odds with Representative Lee Jae-myung or have been classified as pro-Moon faction or 'anti-Lee Jae-myung faction' lawmakers (Lawmakers Kim Young-joo, Park Yong-jin, Yoon Young-chan, Song Gap-seok, Park Young-soon, Kim Han-jung). Inside and outside the party, criticism is mounting that this nomination is a 'private recommendation' aimed at creating a Lee Jae-myung loyalist group.

According to the Democratic Party on the 23rd, Lawmakers Kim Young-joo, Park Yong-jin, Yoon Young-chan, Park Young-soon, and Kim Han-jung held a press conference to disclose that they had been notified by Chairperson Lim of the nomination committee that they were among the bottom evaluation targets. Among them, Lawmaker Kim declared his resignation from the party, and Lawmaker Park announced plans to request a reconsideration from the nomination committee. Lawmakers Yoon Young-chan, Kim Han-jung, and Park Young-soon also expressed their intention to participate in the primary despite opposing the low evaluation. The Democratic Party applies a penalty rule in this nomination where the bottom 10% have 30% of their primary votes deducted, and those ranked 11-20% have 20% deducted.

There is also controversy over unofficial opinion polls conducted in the constituencies of anti-Lee faction lawmakers. These include Incheon Bupyeong-eul (Lawmaker Hong Young-pyo), Seoul Guro-gap (Lawmaker Lee In-young), Gwangju Seo-gu-gap (Lawmaker Song Gap-seok), Gyeonggi Bucheon-eul (Lawmaker Seol Hoon), and Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-gap (Lawmaker Hong Ki-won), where party-level opinion polls excluding incumbents were conducted.

Discrimination through qualitative evaluation... Evaluators also in the dark, criticism of 'system nomination' being undermined

Voices inside and outside the political sphere claim that the pro-Lee faction is conducting a 'nomination massacre' by first expelling anti-Lee faction lawmakers and then pushing out the remaining anti-Lee and pro-Moon forces. The rampant opinion polls excluding the anti-Lee and pro-Moon factions are spreading suspicions of a 'closed-door private recommendation' by Lee's loyal group to secure nominations. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said, “It is a typical private recommendation for a party that emphasizes transparency to conduct opinion polls excluding incumbent lawmakers and share the results with the party leader,” adding, “The Democratic Party's so-called system nomination can be considered broken. This nomination controversy could lead to an unprecedented split in the party.”

The Democratic Party's "21st National Assembly Member Evaluation Implementation Rules," published on the party's official website, highlight qualitative evaluation categories that distinguish performance. Among a total score of 1000 points, the legislative activity performance evaluation (70 points) and contribution activity performance evaluation (50 points), both marked in red, along with the regional activity performance evaluation (130 points), which is based on public opinion surveys, are considered key differentiating factors.

Since all lawmakers included in the 'bottom 20% incumbent evaluation' list belong to the anti-Lee faction, further doubts are being raised about the fairness of the Democratic Party's claimed 'system nomination.' According to the '21st National Assembly Member Evaluation Implementation Rules' published on the party's website, the evaluation consists of four major categories: legislative activities (380 points), contribution activities (250 points), pledge fulfillment activities (100 points), and regional activities (270 points), totaling 1000 points. Specific evaluation methods for each category are also detailed.

Among these, attendance rates at plenary and standing committee meetings, and the number of party-backed bills initiated by the lawmaker fall under quantitative evaluation. However, committee performance and legislative activity evaluations include multi-faceted and qualitative assessments. Since most offices pay attention to the quantitative evaluation scores, which account for about 20-25% of the total, the qualitative evaluation determines the differentiation. Evaluators are also kept in the dark. The Elected Officials Evaluation Committee consists of 12 members. Except for Chairperson Song Gi-do (Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at Jeonbuk National University), the list of members is not disclosed.

Controversy over nomination transparency grows distrust in party system, raising concerns over political apathy

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Yongsan Station in Seoul on the 8th to greet returning holiday travelers. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Experts warn that if such controversies persist, public distrust in the party's nomination system will increase, potentially leading to political cynicism and apathy toward the April 10 general election. They emphasize the need for the Democratic Party to implement measures that enhance nomination transparency to satisfy both prospective candidates and the public.

Professor Choi Chang-ryeol of Yongin University said, “If the perception is that Representative Lee Jae-myung is nominating his own faction, the party could face certain defeat in the general election,” adding, “If they lose the election, the protective shield around Lee due to various legal risks will disappear, so the nomination discord of this magnitude is a negative factor not only for Lee but also for the Democratic Party.” Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, “The change in nomination rules to apply the 'presumption of innocence' until a Supreme Court final verdict is rendered has already undermined the system nomination,” and warned, “If pro-Lee nominations continue as they are, it could result in a windfall for the People Power Party.”

In fact, last May, the Democratic Party amended special party regulations related to nominations to allow candidates to be nominated even if lower courts have found them guilty, as long as the Supreme Court has not issued a final ruling. On the 21st of last month, Chairperson Lim Hyuk-baek of the nomination committee also stated that the 'presumption of innocence' would apply to bribery and corruption crimes until a Supreme Court ruling is made. While qualitative evaluations, which are highly subjective, have excluded anti-Lee faction lawmakers from nominations, criticism arises that a 'Lee Jae-myung tailored nomination rule' lowering the moral hurdle was created due to Lee's legal risks.

Commentator Park said, “The nomination process of a political party should be transparent and balanced across factions, professions, origins, and generations,” adding, “The nomination turmoil in the Democratic Party has significantly shaken the atmosphere in the metropolitan area within a week, and without a turnaround card, it could lead to mass defections or splits within the support base.”