Kim Du-gwan wrote and deleted 'Trash'... "Handled well" "No impact"

Kim side "'Trash' remark was a mistake by the message team"
Jung Cheong-rae "Efforts to resolve will lead to harmony"
Professor Shin Yul "Lee Jae-myung 90%... No diversity"

Kim Du-gwan, a candidate running for the Democratic Party representative election, withdrew after calling the hardline supporters who gave a unanimous vote to candidate Lee Jae-myung a "collective trash." Within the party, some interpreted this positively, saying "he did not self-destruct," while others criticized, saying "Kim's remarks have no impact."

On the morning of the 23rd, Jung Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, appeared on the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory' and said, "Yesterday, Kim's side used the term 'trash' and quickly deleted it, right?" He added, "If they make efforts to explain it as a 'staff mistake' to manage the situation, harmony can be achieved." Jung made this comment while referring to reports of a verbal spat between Na Kyung-won and Han Dong-hoon at the People Power Party's convention.

On the morning of the 21st, the second day of the regional primary elections for the election of the new leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, candidate Kim Du-kwan is delivering his policy speech at the joint speech meeting held at Hongcheon Sports Complex in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Representative Park Ji-won said in a phone call, "I highly appreciate the Democratic Party convention, where relatively policy debates take place, unlike the self-destructive convention of the People Power Party." He continued, "Everyone makes mistakes," and said, "The immediate withdrawal shows 'Kim Du-gwan's character' as well."

There is also a view that Kim's remarks did not escalate the conflict. It is not about preventing or addressing conflicts arising during the primary process, but rather that other candidates' voices are powerless within the 'Lee Jae-myung one-pole system.' Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University's Department of Political Science and Diplomacy argued, "In fact, Kim's remarks do have some impact," and added, "It will continue not only now but also in the future." He further said, "The 90% support rate for candidate Lee Jae-myung proves that the party has lost diversity," and "It might have been better if he had been endorsed."

On the previous day, Kim posted on Facebook, "Party members should not be treated as machines that only cast votes before even listening to speeches," urging changes to the convention method. He wrote, "A group that has turned into 'collective trash,' not 'collective intelligence,' cannot seize power, nor should it," but later deleted the content. Kim's side said in a phone call on the same day, "There was a standard not to use personal insults or low-level expressions during the primary, but this was not properly checked this time," and added, "The staff used an excessive term."