"Does He Deserve to Speak of Moderate Conservatism?"
Criticism Mounts Against Lee Jae-myung
The People Power Party is launching a fierce attack on Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, for defining the party's identity as 'moderate conservative.' They also expressed regret over his recent stance at the ruling-opposition-government policy council, where he maintained his previous position despite advocating a rightward shift in policy.
On the 21st, Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader, said at the floor strategy meeting, "The 'moderate conservative' that Lee mentioned is essentially a 'two-faced political fraud,' and pragmatism is nothing but 'opportunism with one foot in each camp,'" adding, "He only has election engineering on his mind and does not care about the future of the people."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the trial for charges related to the Public Official Election Act at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 19th. 2025.2.19. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong
He cited Lee’s past criticism of centrism, where Lee said, "If you lose your identity and waver ambiguously, you will rather be suspected," and "(centrism is) a shield to cover up corrupt vested interests," arguing, "He is practicing his own words exactly," and criticized, "Even within the Democratic Party, he is being doubted for his centrism rhetoric because he tries to conceal his political extremism with the language of centrism."
Furthermore, Floor Leader Kwon said, "The key livelihood bill, the Act to Promote Reconstruction and Redevelopment, is being held back by the Democratic Party's opposition," and questioned, "Does a party that wants to nail down the coffin so that reconstruction and redevelopment cannot be done in Korea have the right to talk about moderate conservatism?"
Kim Sang-hoon, the chairman of the Policy Committee, also directly attacked, saying the previous day, "Lee’s rightward shift is practically a populist policy disguised as market economy," calling it "in short, a disguised move to moderate conservative right-wing."
Criticism of Lee’s remarks also poured in from within the party. On the 20th, Representative Kim Ki-hyun posted on social media, "Just a few days ago, he proposed a left-wing populist supplementary budget that distributes cash to all citizens, and now overnight he talks about 'moderate conservatism.' It makes me think he must be quite desperate over stagnant approval ratings," labeling Lee as a 'moderate conservative petitioner.' Representative Jung Yeon-wook asked, "Lee Jae-myung, are you joining the moderate conservative People Power Party?"
Presidential hopefuls from the ruling party also added their voices. Representative Ahn Cheol-soo disparaged on social media, "If Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party is a moderate conservative party, then even flies would fly in Paris." Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "It’s late, but I’m glad he realized the direction our society should take," adding, "Of course, he will face sharp criticism within the Democratic Party such as 'overstepping authority,' 'undemocratic,' 'party factionalization,' and 'ahistoricism,' but I hope he does not yield and proceeds steadfastly without changing his words." He further demanded, "Above all, he should face the trial with dignity as a moderate conservative," and stated, "If he practices these three things, I will gladly acknowledge the sincerity of Lee Jae-myung-style 'moderate conservatism.'" Former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong posted a screenshot of a post Lee made on November 27, 2016, when he was mayor of Seongnam, saying, "Don’t be fooled by the moderate frame. Lee Jae-myung does not do moderate cosplay."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
