[Opinion] What the 'Victory of Woo Won-sik' That Overturned 'Myeongsim' Tells Us

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, took a hit. Woo Won-shik, a five-term lawmaker, was elected as the Democratic Party's candidate for Speaker of the National Assembly. Although Lee said, "Since the elected candidates made the decision, we should consider this result as the party's will," he likely felt a sting inside. His close aide, lawmaker Jo Jung-sik, withdrew after declaring support for Speaker-elect Chu Mi-ae, and even lawmaker Jung Sung-ho resigned, disrupting the previously formed 'Eo-ui-chu (Anyway, the Speaker is Chu Mi-ae)' momentum. The re-election structure involving Floor Leader Park Chan-dae, Speaker Chu Mi-ae, and Party Leader Lee Jae-myung has become inevitably subject to revision. This could also potentially affect Lee Jae-myung's re-election.

As revealed by Speaker-elect Park Ji-won, the process of selecting the Democratic Party's candidate for Speaker involved 'Myeongshim (明心, Lee Jae-myung's intention).' On the 16th, Park said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "On the 8th, I had lunch with Leader Lee Jae-myung and talked for an hour and a half. After that, I concluded, 'Now is not the time for me to step forward.'" This explains that he confirmed Lee's intention and then gave up. It is an example showing that Lee exerted influence behind the scenes in the process of directly selecting the candidate for Speaker.

This incident is unlikely to cause immediate political damage to Lee. At least, not outwardly. This is due to the parliamentary structure where the Democratic Party holds the majority, the power dynamics within the party dominated by the pro-Lee faction, an internal consensus on the need to achieve results early in the 22nd National Assembly, and the absence of alternatives to Lee. During the election, lawmaker Woo also promoted 'Myeongshim marketing,' saying, "In terms of needing to achieve results steadily, Brother Woo Won-shik is just the right fit," quoting Lee Jae-myung. Although not as hardline as Speaker-elect Chu, Woo emphasized that he was aligned with Lee's stance.

However, constant drizzle wets clothes. Too much force breaks them. Every action has a reaction. That is life. There was a particularly notable constituency related to Lee in the last general election: Dongjak-eul in Seoul. During the election, Lee visited this area eight times to support candidate Ryu Sam-young. Including indirect support via YouTube live streams, the number is even higher. However, the result was that Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party won. Although Lee won overall in the general election, in this aspect, he lost face. There were evaluations that his ability to expand votes was limited. This incident follows a similar context. He pushed hard, but the outcome was different.

It is also noteworthy that the rift with the 'pro-Moon' faction is widening, highlighted by the strained relations with Lee Eon-ju and Yang Moon-seok, who strongly criticized former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in, and now Speaker-elect Chu Mi-ae. Former Secretary-General of the National Assembly Yoo In-tae mentioned on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "During the conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Minister Chu Mi-ae said, 'I was right, but the right me was cut down,' criticizing President Moon Jae-in, and now she is an enemy to the pro-Moon faction." This trend could limit Lee's expansion and potentially trip him up in the future.

Recently, Korean politics has become a 'judgment election.' Voting criteria have shifted from who is good to who is disliked. The 'Woo Won-shik Speaker candidate' also reflects this context. This result shows that simply pushing forward with power is not always the answer.