Chinmyeong Kim Young-jin "Amending Party Constitution and Rules? Lee Jae-myung and the Entire Democratic Party Could Be Hurt"

Passed Party Charter and Regulations Amendments at Previous Day's Democratic Supreme Council
"Speaker of the National Assembly? Can They Do the Job Properly If They Worry About Party Members' Opinions?"

Kim Young-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed concerns about the final approval of the party constitution and regulations amendment, which favors the reappointment of party leader Lee Jae-myung, saying, "It is not appropriate to amend the party's constitution as a stopgap measure to appease dissatisfaction with the Speaker of the National Assembly," adding, "At the time, it may have seemed like a sweet candy that would please hardline party members, but ultimately it could bruise Lee, the Democratic Party, and all the hardline members."

Kim, considered a key figure in the original pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung) faction, criticized on June 11 during CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that "the clause separating party leadership and presidential candidacy in the Democratic Party has very important political implications and cannot be arbitrarily amended based on the strong opinions of one or two Supreme Council members who have delegated power." He continued, "In fact, no party member has ever said that a specific lawmaker should be the Speaker of the National Assembly," and argued, "A certain flow created by specific Supreme Council members and a few large YouTubers has been accepted as if it were the opinion of the entire party membership, which is a distortion."

Previously, some hardline party members attempted to nominate lawmaker Chu Mi-ae as Speaker of the National Assembly, but Woo Won-shik was elected as the Speaker for the first half of the 22nd National Assembly. This led to dissatisfaction among party members who supported Chu. Kim interpreted the recent passage of the Democratic Party Supreme Council's amendment to the party constitution and regulations as an attempt to appease the hardline members' dissatisfaction. The main points of the amendment passed the day before include an exception to the rule requiring the party leader to resign one year before running for president, and reflecting 20% of the votes from party members when selecting candidates for Speaker of the National Assembly and floor leader.

Kim Young-jin, Democratic Party member. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the amended party regulations that incorporate party member votes in selecting candidates for Speaker and floor leader, Kim said, "I agree with the direction of strengthening party membership and moving toward a member-centered mass party," but questioned, "The floor leader and Speaker must work representing the entire nation, but if they only pay attention to some party members and listen only to their strong voices, can they really do their job properly?"

He added, "Those who work hard and clearly fight on the front lines against the Yoon Seok-youl government should develop and be tested for their political capabilities," and noted, "There is a limitation in having to listen to the voices of 20% of party members, a very small minority, on some large YouTube channels," warning, "If that happens, the party itself could become very simplified."

On the exception to the rule requiring the party leader to resign one year before running for president, he described it as "penny wise, pound foolish." Kim said, "The Democratic Party does not exist solely for Lee Jae-myung," and added, "We will only know who the presidential candidate will be in September 2026." He insisted that the amended party constitution and regulations should explicitly exclude Lee, saying, "If the party constitution and regulations are amended, it should be clearly stated that Lee does not apply to this, to avoid misunderstandings."

He also pointed out that concerns within the party about the amendments were not reflected at all, criticizing, "It was hastily and excessively approved without sufficient consultation." Kim said, "There were many lawmakers, including those with four or five terms, who raised issues, but their opinions were not reflected at all when the decision was made," and questioned, "Is this decision-making process democratic, and was it decided within the delegated authority of the Supreme Council members?"