Still Facing the 'Choo Mi-ae Aftershock'... Democratic Party Repeats "Party Member" "Party Member" "Party Member" at Workshop

Democratic Party Soothes Hardline Supporters
"Reflecting Party Sentiment Is Reflecting Centrist Views"
Choo Mi-ae Absent from Workshop Due to Personal Schedule

The Democratic Party of Korea sought to appease its hardline supporters who were angered by the upset in the National Assembly Speaker candidate primary, where lawmaker Woo Won-sik defeated elected representative Chu Mi-ae. The party promised a paradigm shift toward expanding party members' authority and argued that the sentiments of hardline supporters and other party members are essentially no different from those of the moderate electorate.

On the 22nd, at the 22nd National Assembly Democratic Party of Korea elected members' workshop held at Splash Resort in Chungnam, Representative Lee Jae-myung, Floor Leader Park Chan-dae, and the elected members are holding placards and shouting slogans.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 22nd, the Democratic Party held a two-day workshop for the 22nd National Assembly elected representatives at Splash Resort in Yesan, Chungnam. The Democratic Party elected representatives, dressed uniformly in white T-shirts, followed a schedule including briefings by party leadership such as lawmakers Park Sung-jun, Min Hyung-bae, and Jin Sung-jun, external lectures, and breakout discussions. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, also wore a white T-shirt and urged the elected representatives to carry out their legislative duties with a sense of responsibility. Lee said, "It seems the people have entrusted a great responsibility to the Democratic Party elected representatives in this general election," adding, "I hope they feel this responsibility and faithfully fulfill the duties assigned to us."

However, elected representative Chu did not attend the workshop that day. A representative from Chu Mi-ae’s side said, "She had a personal schedule booked long ago that conflicted with the workshop, so she could not attend," and requested, "Please refrain from unfounded speculation." Chu expressed her feelings for the first time since losing the National Assembly Speaker candidate primary at a book launch event for elected representative Lee Sung-yoon held the previous day at the Roh Moo-hyun Citizen Center multipurpose hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. She said, "From my experience in life, things don’t always go as one wishes," adding, "There are moments of anger and times when I find it utterly unforgivable." However, to the hardline supporters protesting the primary results, she emphasized, "I am still here in the Democratic Party," and urged, "Please do not leave under any circumstances."

Hardline supporters are furious over Chu’s defeat in the National Assembly Speaker candidate primary. By the 20th, over 10,000 party members had submitted withdrawal notices, and the Democratic Party approved the withdrawal of about 1,000 of them. As hardline supporters began identifying elected representatives who voted for lawmaker Woo, Kim Sung-hwan, a Democratic Party lawmaker classified as pro-Lee Jae-myung, voluntarily disclosed that he voted for Woo. Kim stated on his Facebook that "From my 30 years of observation, lawmaker Woo has never compromised the interests of the people and the party for personal gain," and added, "I believe the choice in this National Assembly Speaker election process aligns with the demands of the majority of party members."

Choo Mi-ae and Woo Won-shik, candidates running for Speaker of the National Assembly, are applauding at the elected members' general meeting held on the 16th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to select the candidates for the 22nd National Assembly's first half Speaker team. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Democratic Party emphasized expanding party members' authority during the workshop. Kang Yoo-jung, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, told reporters after the party leadership briefing, "Lawmakers assessed that amid coexistence of expectations and concerns for the 22nd National Assembly, there has been a paradigm shift toward party member democracy," adding, "In an era of 5 million party members, it is necessary to respond to this paradigm shift."

An external lecture by Jeon Woo-yong, a research professor at Hanyang University’s East Asian Studies Institute, also focused on expanding party members' authority. Yoon Jong-gun, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said, "(Professor Jeon) diagnosed the current state of Korean democracy as a process of transforming into a party membership movement where members actively participate in party politics," adding, "There is a growing awareness among members who want to take the lead in political engagement by joining the party." He continued, "In the past, party members were satisfied with spreading the leadership’s policies and practicing politics themselves," and explained, "Now, the party culture is evolving into one that seeks to change the world through politics, similar to celebrity fandom culture. Diagnosing this as merely a hardline supporter frame will not provide answers."

When asked about concerns that focusing solely on party members might alienate the moderate electorate, Kang disagreed. She said, "In party member democracy, reflecting the sentiments of party members inherently reflects the moderate electorate," and added, "(The Democratic Party) is a platform party with about 5 million members. The term 'hardline supporters' is a distorted expression." Yoon also said, "The Democratic Party is in a process of strengthening and deepening party members' activities," and questioned, "If the opinions of over 1 million members are not considered collective intelligence, then what else would be considered collective intelligence?"