Controversy Over 'Lee Jae-myung Support' in Supreme Council Election
Signs of Change Alongside Kim Kyung-soo's Pardon Prospects
The national party convention to elect the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea is entering its final stages. The race for party leader is dominated by candidate Lee Jae-myung. Lee swept about 90% of the votes from party members in all regions except Seoul. Meanwhile, the race for Supreme Council members is in turmoil. At the center of this is candidates Kim Min-seok and Jeong Bong-ju, who are competing for the position of senior Supreme Council member.
On the 4th, at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju, three Democratic Party of Korea representative candidates, Lee Jae-myung (from the left), Kim Doo-kwan, and Kim Ji-soo, along with eight supreme council member candidates, greeted attendees at the joint speech event. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Candidate Kim Min-seok (currently ranked 1st) held a press conference at the National Assembly on the morning of the 13th, urging a "party member revolution" to participate in the voting. He avoided direct comments on Jeong Bong-ju’s (currently ranked 2nd) remarks accusing Lee Jae-myung of "peddling influence." However, Kim emphasized, "Dividing factions based on distance from Lee Jae-myung seems like a perspective rooted in old lineage politics or clique politics," adding, "The Democratic Party must now create a concentric circle system that fights in unison."
Opinions within the party are divided over Jeong Bong-ju’s "Lee Jae-myung peddling" remarks. At a press conference on the 12th, Jeong said, "We must cut out the cancerous lump that sells the name of former leader Lee Jae-myung," and "The biggest obstacle to regime change lies within us." Although he criticized the "Lee Jae-myung peddling," it was widely interpreted as targeting candidate Lee Jae-myung himself, leading to talk of a "Jeong Bong-ju rebellion."
Supreme Council candidates collectively criticized Jeong either directly or indirectly. On Facebook, candidates stated, "Who claimed to open the era of President Lee Jae-myung but spoke of a 'monarchical leader' behind the scenes?" (Kim Byung-joo, currently 3rd), "Who is peddling Lee Jae-myung’s influence?" (Han Jun-ho, currently 4th), and "Division means the Democratic Party’s destruction" (Jeon Hyun-hee, currently 6th). Meanwhile, Representative Yang Moon-seok (first-term, Ansan-si Gap, Gyeonggi) said, "If candidate Jeong apologizes to party members, I am willing to embrace brother Jeong Bong-ju."
The internal party dynamics surrounding candidate Jeong coincide with the reinstatement of former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, hinting at future changes within the Democratic Party. The government reviewed the special pardon, sentence reduction, and reinstatement agenda for the August 15 Liberation Day at a Cabinet meeting that morning and approved Kim as a candidate for reinstatement. Once the president signs off, the reinstatement will be finalized. If Kim is reinstated, he will be eligible to run in the presidential election, potentially becoming a rallying point for the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction.
The key question is whether the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction can unite into a single current. Kim Du-kwan, the candidate for party leader opposing Lee, is pushing for a competitive system rather than a single Lee Jae-myung candidacy for the presidency. In this process, he has mentioned figures such as Kim Boo-kyum (former Prime Minister), Kim Kyung-soo (former Gyeongnam Governor), Kim Dong-yeon (Gyeonggi Governor), and Lee Tan-hee (former lawmaker).
Candidate Lee is preparing to build a "second Lee Jae-myung" faction through the party convention. However, there is also a persistent sense of crisis that figures opposing Lee may emerge under the banner of "reform forces" or similar justifications.
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