"From Riot Police to Leadership"... Democratic Party's Pro-Myeong Supreme Council Competition Heats Up

Kang Sun-woo, Kim Byung-joo, Han Jun-ho, Kim Min-seok, Lee Sung-yoon Officially Announce Candidacy
Jeon Hyun-hee, Min Hyung-bae Preparing to Run... Pro-Myeong Leadership Unavoidable

As the Democratic Party of Korea prepares for the August 18 party convention, a large number of 'pro-Lee Jae-myung (pro-Lee Jae-myung faction)' lawmakers and external figures are throwing their hats into the ring for the Supreme Council member elections. Most of these candidates belong to the 'The Minjoo National Innovation Council,' a strong pro-Lee Jae-myung external group that has emerged as the largest faction within the party since the general election. The pro-Lee Jae-myung external 'task force' organization has rapidly risen as a core leadership group in Lee Jae-myung's second-term system.

According to the Democratic Party on the 1st, if there are more than nine candidates for the Supreme Council member election, a preliminary round will be held on the 14th to narrow the field down to eight. As of now, seven individuals have officially announced their candidacy for the Supreme Council member position, including lawmakers Kang Seon-woo, Kim Byung-joo, Han Jun-ho, Kim Min-seok, and Lee Sung-yoon, as well as Kim Ji-ho, the full-time deputy spokesperson, and former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju. Lawmakers Jeon Hyun-hee and Min Hyung-bae are also reportedly preparing to run.

Lawmakers Kang Seon-woo, Min Hyung-bae, and Lee Sung-yoon belong to the Innovation Council, while Kim Min-seok, Jeon Hyun-hee, and Han Jun-ho have rapidly risen as figures of the Shinmyeong (New Lee Jae-myung) faction since the general election. Deputy spokesperson Kim is also one of the 'Seongnam line' figures who have supported former party leader Lee Jae-myung since his time as mayor of Seongnam. Regardless of who is elected as a Supreme Council member, pro-Lee Jae-myung figures will effectively dominate the party leadership.

Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Jae-myung, is conversing with Park Chan-dae, the floor leader and acting party leader, and Assemblyman Jo Jung-sik during the plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The races for city and provincial party chairpersons are also dominated by pro-Lee Jae-myung candidates. For example, in the upcoming Gyeonggi Province party chairperson election next month, pro-Lee Jae-myung lawmakers Moon Jeong-bok, Min Byung-duk, Kang Deuk-gu, and Kim Seung-won are running, setting up a four-way contest. For the Gwangju city party chairperson position, Kang Wi-won, the standing representative of the Innovation Council, and Yang Bu-nam, a pro-Lee Jae-myung lawmaker, are candidates.

As a result, it is widely expected that former party leader Lee Jae-myung's influence within the Democratic Party will be strengthened to an unprecedented level. There is also a growing atmosphere encouraging candidacies, fueled by hopes that the Supreme Council member election will generate excitement in what is already seen as a convention tilted toward 'Eodaemyeong' (meaning 'Lee Jae-myung will be the leader anyway'). The more competitive the Supreme Council member race is, the more it is believed to offset concerns about the 'party becoming a personal faction' under Lee Jae-myung's re-election.

However, there are also concerns that excessive loyalty competition among Supreme Council member candidates toward Lee Jae-myung could provoke backlash. Lawmaker Park Ji-won stated, "I hope the primary election does not become an all pro-Lee Jae-myung affair and that diverse voices can emerge." There are worries that a leadership dominated solely by pro-Lee Jae-myung figures could ultimately hinder the expansion of the centrist voter base. Former Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Sang-ho recently pointed out on the radio, "While they will receive absolute support from their base, the centrist voters may see it as 'excessive greed.'"