Democratic Party's 2-Day Workshop... Seeking Solutions for 'Chu Mi-ae Aftershock'

From the 22nd in Yesan, Chungnam
Breakout Discussion on 'The 22nd National Assembly, Challenges for the Democratic Party'

Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) elected members are gathering to share opinions ahead of the opening of the 22nd National Assembly. The workshop is expected to seek ways to resolve the party’s situation, which has been in turmoil following the Speaker candidate primary election.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The DPK will hold a workshop for the 22nd National Assembly elected members over two days starting on the 22nd in Yesan, Chungnam, with the theme "The 22nd National Assembly, Challenges for the Democratic Party." The elected members are expected to discuss issues such as strengthening the rights of party members during the breakout sessions. No Jong-myeon, the DPK floor spokesperson, told reporters after the floor strategy meeting the day before, "The discussion theme is a competent Democratic Party, a Democratic Party of the citizens," adding, "We will discuss topics including reorganizing the party system (such as strengthening the rights of party members) and encompassing legal issues."

The DPK has been experiencing internal turmoil centered around hardline supporters after elected member Chu Mi-ae lost to lawmaker Woo Won-sik in the Speaker candidate primary election. The party’s approval rating has dropped significantly. According to a public opinion poll released on the 20th by Realmeter (commissioned by Energy Economy Newspaper, conducted on the 16th-17th with 1,001 respondents aged 18 and over nationwide, using 97% mobile and 3% landline automated response), the DPK’s approval rating fell by 6.1 percentage points from the previous week to 34.5%. The People Power Party’s approval rating rose by 2.1 percentage points to 35.0%. The gap between the two parties’ approval ratings had the DPK ahead of the People Power Party beyond the margin of error last week, but this poll shows a close race within the margin of error. (For detailed poll results, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.)

Resignations of party members have also continued. By the 20th, the DPK had received over 10,000 resignation notices, approving about 1,000 of them. Jo Jung-sik, a DPK lawmaker, discouraged resignations on the day before at Lee Jae-myung, DPK leader’s fan cafe "Jaemyung’s Village," saying, "Leaving the party now weakens our internal strength and paves a golden path for the opposition."

Going forward, the DPK is expected to resolve internal turmoil by strengthening party members’ rights. Kim Min-seok, a DPK lawmaker, said on the YouTube channel "Kim Eo-jun’s Humility is Difficult News Factory" on the 20th, "There is now an area where the party must respond by moving toward institutional changes such as expanding the proportion of party member votes," adding, "We need to consider institutional improvements, such as reflecting more than 10% of party members’ opinions in the Speaker candidate primary election."