"Becoming Party Leader but Not Local Council Member"...Controversy Over Democratic Party's Re-election Limit Guidelines

Official Letter on Term Limits for Chairpersons... Not Discussed at the Supreme Council
Amid Lee Jae-myung's Push for Reappointment, "Weak Justification for Limiting Local Council Members"

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is greeting supporters at the nationwide rally near Seoul Station on the afternoon of the 1st, condemning the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and advocating for the enactment of the Marine Corps Special Prosecutor Act. 2024.6.1 [Joint Coverage]/Yonhap News Agency

Amid the upcoming election of chairpersons and the formation of committees in local councils nationwide, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has reportedly issued a guideline to provincial party organizations limiting the reappointment of chairpersons, sparking controversy.

According to Asia Economy's report on the 5th, the DPK sent an official letter under the name of the Secretary-General to city and provincial party organizations nationwide on May 7, stating, “To ensure smooth operation of local councils and the election of chairpersons, reappointment of chairpersons and standing committee chairs will be restricted except in unavoidable cases.”

The letter further stated, “Violations of this matter may result in disciplinary action pursuant to Article 14 (Grounds for Discipline) of the Ethics Tribunal Regulations under Party Rule No. 7,” and “If a member leaves the party, re-entry is prohibited within one year; especially, leaving the party in violation of party policy may lead to disciplinary measures.”

In response to confusion among local council members, on the 4th, the party re-announced that the reappointment restriction applies only to the positions of chairperson and vice-chairperson.

However, since this is not a matter decided by the party constitution, party rules, or party policy but rather a guideline or recommendation without binding force, and because “unavoidable cases” are not clearly defined, there remains room for interpretation that the guideline need not be followed strictly and that reappointment of chairpersons can be allowed depending on local council circumstances.

It is also reported that this guideline was not discussed in the DPK’s highest decision-making body, the Supreme Council.

Some DPK lawmakers are pushing for the reappointment of party leader Lee Jae-myung at the party convention scheduled for August, leading to criticism that the restriction on local council members’ reappointment lacks justification.

Consequently, concerns have been raised that negative public opinion against Lee’s reappointment might form ahead of the DPK party convention.

One DPK party member said, “I don’t know who made this decision, but it should be carefully reconsidered,” adding, “There is no justification for allowing the party leader’s reappointment while disallowing the reappointment of local council members elected as representatives of our region.”

Another member pointed out, “Following the great victory in the last general election, party members want to re-elect leader Lee Jae-myung, so whoever planned this that might dampen his reappointment should be identified.”

Regarding this, Supreme Council member Park Jeong-hyun said, “I have never heard of a restriction on local council members’ reappointment and will check on it,” emphasizing, “Local council members are elected by lawmakers within the council, while leader Lee is elected by party members through voting,” cautioning against broad interpretations extending to the party leader.

Hwang Myeong-seon, Deputy Head of Organization, stated, “The restriction on local council members’ reappointment is a guideline or recommendation from the central party. Looking at past cases, there have been about 100 instances of coalition or defections with other parties related to chairperson elections,” adding, “The party guideline is that such positions should not be continuously reappointed.”