The Vanished 'Bimyeong Faction'... From Floor Leader to National Assembly Speaker, All Pro-Myung

After the general election, evaluations are emerging that the pro-Myeong (pro-Lee Jae-myung) color of the Democratic Party of Korea is becoming more pronounced. Starting with Park Chan-dae, the floor leader and a key figure in the parliamentary leadership, the election of pro-Myeong figures to positions such as the National Assembly Speaker, where neutrality is required, is becoming likely, raising concerns that democracy within the party may regress.

Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Sang-ho said on CBS Radio on the 13th, "The Speaker of the National Assembly is the second highest in the power hierarchy of the Republic of Korea," and added, "It is not appropriate for the party leader or floor leader to be involved in organizing the structure." He expressed concern about the recent Democratic Party leadership's de facto endorsement of Choo Mi-ae as the Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly's first half by coordinating among pro-Myeong factions.

There are criticisms that internal competition within the party is disappearing as candidate withdrawals and unifications by Jeong Seong-ho and Cho Jung-sik are proceeding ahead of the National Assembly Speaker election following the endorsement of Floor Leader Park. He said, "Seeing senior lawmakers with five or six terms 'drop out' in the middle made me feel a sense of self-disgust," and added, "If they stopped because of recommendations from Floor Leader Park, Representative Lee Jae-myung, or their close associates, this is a serious problem."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Lawmaker Woo added, "However, if the two dropped out because they thought they could not compete in the race, that is their freedom and not a problem. But there are continuous reports that someone intervened, conveyed messages, or encouraged candidate withdrawal, which I find very inappropriate."

He also said to Speaker-elect Choo Mi-ae, "Those who come forward to become the Speaker of the National Assembly should refrain from commenting on various political issues." This came amid growing concerns that Choo's continued remarks are inappropriate for a candidate who must maintain neutrality as the Speaker candidate.

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo also expressed concerns about the Democratic Party's pro-Myeong unilateral dominance. Earlier, Speaker Kim criticized the emphasis on pro-Myeong by Speaker candidates, saying, "If you study a little more and look at the history of our assembly, the person who said that will be ashamed of themselves," and added, "If you continue to hold one party affiliation and perform biased administration and biased Speaker roles, that Speaker will be nothing but a puppet."

Some argue that party management led by pro-Myeong should accelerate the operation of the 22nd National Assembly. Speaker-elect Choo also did not hide her pro-Myeong support on a radio show, saying, "The party's mind is the same as Myeong's mind (明心, meaning Representative Lee Jae-myung's intention), and Myeong's mind is the people's mind," and added, "Reform politics aligns with the people's will and is the heart of the next presidential candidate, Representative Lee Jae-myung."