'Lee Jae-myung' Exits Presidential Race Amid Crisis... Political Sphere Faces Even More 'Clock Zero' Situation

The Confrontation Between Ruling and Opposition Parties Deepens
The Possibility of a Pro-Myeong Alternative Increasing Over the Three Kims

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial of the Public Official Election Act violation case, plunging the political situation into a turbulent 'zero hour.' However, the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to intensify further. The power dynamics within the Democratic Party are also anticipated to enter a more complex phase.

At the first Democratic Party Supreme Council meeting held after the trial on the 18th, Lee emphasized the necessity of passing a special prosecutor law regarding First Lady Kim Keon-hee. He stated, "The true owners of a democratic republic are neither the president nor the members of the National Assembly, but the people who elected them," adding, "The sovereign people desire the restoration of the country's legal order." He continued, "The prosecution, which is supposed to be the last bastion of maintaining order, is abusing its power to conceal crimes and disrupt national order through unfair exercise of authority," and stressed, "If the prosecution does not do its job properly, it is only natural to appoint a special prosecutor to protect the damaged legal order," emphasizing, "This special prosecutor bill must be passed." This clearly indicated the intention to continue the existing special prosecutor offensive.

On the other hand, Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, mentioned Lee's trial, saying, "The public seems to be spending too much energy and getting tired over Lee's trial," and added, "The trial should be concluded quickly." Han proposed establishing an in-party 'Task Force to Prevent Trial Delays (TF)' to monitor the trial's normal and swift progress, stating, "The second trial under the Public Official Election Act should be concluded within three months, and the third trial should also be concluded within three months." He also referred to Lee's statement that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport threatened regarding the Baekhyun-dong case as false, saying, "This is tantamount to a guilty verdict on the Baekhyun-dong case." This was a direct targeting of Lee's judicial risks.

In political circles, it is expected that the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties will become even more intense.

Park Sung-min, CEO of Min Consulting, said on SBS Radio, "The condition for political compromise would have been if Lee's judicial risk shackles were loosened, such as receiving a fine, then the Democratic Party might have tried to win over the moderate voters and pursued impeachment or pension reform with the determination of a ruling party. But now, the situation has worsened. There is no room for maneuver, so they are likely to increase the intensity of their struggle beyond the inertia they have maintained so far."

In fact, Park Sung-joon, senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, expressed his intention to engage in both internal and external struggles on KBS Radio. Park said, "The weekend rallies are the same, and since the last general election was a judgment on the Yoon Seok-youl administration, the role of the National Assembly is more important than anything else."

Is the Democratic Party Preparing Plan B?

The internal power dynamics of the Democratic Party have become more complicated. This is due to the increased uncertainty surrounding Lee, who had been the central figure until now. Political circles suggest that considering Lee's judicial risks, figures such as Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, or former Gyeongnam Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo could emerge as alternatives. However, within the Democratic Party, this possibility is currently considered low.

Party leader Park said, "Since the party system is pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung), the Plan A is to find alternatives within the pro-Lee faction rather than among the so-called anti-Lee trio." He added, "If Lee cannot run, the pro-Lee faction believes they can win the party primary and field a candidate who can expand the moderate base, but above all, the most important thing for the pro-Lee faction is to become members of the National Assembly in the next general election."

Former Reform Party lawmaker Cho Eung-chun also said, "Anyway, it has been set up so that the strong party members' will and intention prevail," adding, "Someone who resembles Lee Jae-myung will rise, but the 'Three Kims' will not be considered from the start." Kim Min-seok, senior supreme council member of the Democratic Party, also referred to the 'Three Kims' mentioned in the media, saying, "They are people who have been reasonably judged by party members and the public."

What Is the Democratic Party's Future Litigation Strategy?

Handonghun, the leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the "Emergency Countermeasure Meeting to Prevent Judicial Obstruction by Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party" held at the National Assembly on the 12th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Lee's future trial strategy has also become important. The key issue is whether to continue the existing argument or to reorganize it. For now, lawmakers with legal backgrounds within the Democratic Party maintain the view that "the judgment was wrong" regarding Lee's lawsuit. Park Kyun-taek, chairman of the Democratic Party's legal committee, said, "Basically, there is no need to revise the strategy," adding, "We believe there is nothing wrong with the direction or content of the arguments made in the first trial. We are confident that if we make a more thorough effort to explain the part about mistakes, a not guilty verdict will be reached."

Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Sung-ho pointed out problems with the verdict on CBS Radio, saying, "The overall context should have been considered." Lee Geon-tae, also a Democratic Party lawmaker, cited the Supreme Court ruling on BBS Radio, criticizing that the verdict "contradicts legal principles."

Some in political circles suggested that Lee should express remorse to reduce the sentence, but it is expected that this will not be accepted. Former lawmaker Cho Eung-chun said on SBS Radio, "The most important thing to get a favorable sentence is sincere remorse," but he also said, "He should change his stance immediately, but he cannot."