- Second-year syndrome in Lee administration… Role of ruling party is most important
- Ruling party's crisis? Originates from internal incompetence and division within party leadership
- Why Park Sun-won? A candidate with experience, capability, and harmony with the president
- Choi Min-hee trying to get Jeong Cheong-rae's votes by attacking Kim Min-seok
- A Kim Min-seok-Choi Min-hee two-shot won't work… Only clashing and raising objections
- Choi Min-hee is the person who drove away 2030 voters over the 'congratulatory money' controversy
- Choi Min-hee defending media coverage? Beating up anyone… Even coined the term 'camera blocking'
- 'Park Sun-won, Seo Mi-hwa, and Kim Yong' should form the leadership… Party members will judge
- Jeong Cheong-rae confused even about his own words… Performed worst in the TV debate
- Integration possible through 'One Team' efforts after national convention… Splitting party will never happen
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5MHz 7:00–9:00 AM)
■ Date: August 13, 2026 (Thursday)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Park Sun-won, Candidate for Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Following yesterday, today we have prepared another interview with a candidate running in the Democratic Party of Korea's national convention. Let's speak with Park Sun-won, candidate for Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, over the phone. Hello, Congressman.
[Park Sun-won]: Hello. This is Candidate No. 7, Park Sun-won.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Congressman, your slogan is "Park Sun-won, Strong in Crisis."
[Park Sun-won]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So this basically implies that the ruling party is currently in crisis. However, it has only been one year since you became the ruling party. Why do you view the current situation of the Democratic Party as a crisis?
[Park Sun-won]: I am Candidate No. 7, Park Sun-won, who demonstrated the ability to detect and overcome the insurrection earlier than anyone else during the recent insurrection period. In South Korea, we have a single five-year presidential term system. Under a single five-year term, a 'second-year syndrome' usually appears. Second-year syndrome. That means after working hard for the first year, unexpected variables appear starting from the second year, causing policies to falter or momentum to drop.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That can happen.
[Park Sun-won]: At times like this, the role of the ruling party is the most crucial. However, people are even questioning whether a ruling party actually exists right now. It felt like a ruling opposition party, not a ruling party. Where does the current crisis come from? It stems from the incompetence of the party leadership. The incompetence of the ruling party, and instead of trying to support the government and the president, they raise objections and play personal politics rather than maintaining unity between the party and the presidency. The crisis was triggered by incompetence and division within such a ruling leadership.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Park Sun-won]: As a result, they fail to drive policy and the accomplishments of the president's administration, and a series of typical accomplishments ends up creating new challenges instead—a phenomenon known as the second-year syndrome. I believe the crisis arises from failing to respond actively, responsibly, and nimbly to this second-year syndrome. People say the opposition party is like a singer, while the ruling party is like a farmer. Having no intention at all to take responsibility for farming, serve the public properly, and support them—lacking the very sense of responsibility as a ruling party—is the starting point of our crisis.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Ultimately, you are saying that the crisis came because the ruling party failed to support the president well as a ruling party and acted like an opposition party.
[Park Sun-won]: That's correct.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Then why do you believe that if you, Park Sun-won, become a Supreme Council member, you can overcome this crisis?
[Park Sun-won]: Yes. I worked at the Blue House for five years under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, and I also served at the vice-ministerial level for over four years under the Moon Jae-in administration. Among the eight candidates for Supreme Council members, Park Sun-won is the only one who has actual experience operating and participating in state affairs. I believe Candidate No. 7 Park Sun-won, whose experience and capability have been proven, is the right person to overcome the crisis. To handle a crisis, one first needs the ability to sense where and at what level the crisis is approaching, and then the capability to propose alternatives and the agility to turn that crisis into an opportunity. To do this, one needs enough experience to picture and know—even without seeing it directly—how the Presidential Office is running, what the ministers of each department are thinking, and what alternatives are being prepared at this moment. Furthermore, one needs the sense of urgency to match the president's desperation and support the pace of policy execution. Experience, capability, working in sync with the president to make a new leap forward, and the desperation to answer the president's plea to match his speed—I humbly pride myself on possessing these capabilities.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Congressman, looking at your results so far, you seem to be in a safe position to be elected.
[Park Sun-won]: That is not the case. I believe a national convention can fall apart in an instant, so I am taking every step with caution and care.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: In any case, you are currently second in cumulative vote percentage. Do you also have a plan to overtake candidate Choi Min-hee and become the top Supreme Council member?
[Park Sun-won]: Since you just mentioned candidate Choi Min-hee, I cannot help but answer. Candidate Choi Min-hee did not say anything positive during the recent joint address event. She focuses solely on criticizing candidate Kim Min-seok. Why is that? It's about who gets the largest allocation of votes that went to candidate Jeong Cheong-rae. The three candidates—Choi Min-hee, Han Min-soo, and Lee Seong-yoon—need to be allocated a lot of votes from candidate Jeong Cheong-rae to get ahead, which is why she only talks about Kim Min-seok. She is not offering any policy alternatives.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Park Sun-won]: But if this person becomes the top Supreme Council member, and party leader candidate Kim Min-seok announces new policies and what our party needs to do today and tomorrow, and she immediately clashes with him and raises objections, how could this possibly be considered the image of a ruling party? Absolutely not. That is why our respected fellow party members gathered vote by vote to make me second in the cumulative standings. I would be truly grateful if you could support me just a little more so that we can form a leadership that works well together in harmony.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So you are saying that a two-shot of party leader Kim Min-seok and top Supreme Council member Choi Min-hee won't work.
[Park Sun-won]: It won't work. Would the public like that? What was that legendary Science, ICT, Future Planning, Broadcasting and Communications Committee chair? How could someone who made the 2030 generation leave our party over receiving congratulatory money appear in that two-shot?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Then do you have a final strategy to turn the tables?
[Park Sun-won]: The only strategy is to appeal with all my sincerity that every single vote is still lacking. Right now, the online voting rate in Jeonnam and Gwangju is around 38%, and across the nation...
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Son of Honam.
[Park Sun-won]: Yes, in Jeonbuk it is 35.22%, which is very insufficient. Please gather your strength and help Park Sun-won, the son of Honam. Please help me a lot in Gyeonggi Province and Seoul as well. I earnestly ask for your support. Shouldn't our party present a new face?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Speaking of candidate Choi Min-hee, recently candidate Choi Min-hee's side obstructed OhmyTV's coverage by blocking the camera lens with paper, which has raised controversy. Choi's side stated that they were blocking the camera because it was filming the aides, not candidate Choi herself, claiming it was self-defense rather than coverage obstruction, and even saying that OhmyNews is acting as a promotional broadcast for candidate Kim Min-seok and telling them to stay out of the Democratic Party's national convention. How do you view this issue?
[Park Sun-won]: That is truly a method of beating up just anyone. In fact, by blocking a camera in a public place, they coined a new term called 'camera blocking.' I cannot understand how someone who served as the committee chair of the Broadcasting and Communications Committee—who ought to guarantee freedom of the press and the right to newsgathering activities—could do such a thing. This is almost bizarre and abnormal behavior. How could her actions align with her greatest achievement and identity as someone who claimed to protect freedom of the press, when aides were assigned to monitor reporters and cameras that came to cover the event, and when OhmyNews tried to film her, she blocked it with her hand? That makes no sense.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Park Sun-won]: They blame everything on Kim Min-seok, and as I mentioned earlier, they frequently bring up, criticize, and exploit Kim Min-seok as a means to get a larger share of the votes gathered for candidate Jeong Cheong-rae within their three-person 'Team Jeong Cheong-rae.' That should not be happening. She caused the trouble herself, so why is she throwing a tantrum at others? I wish she wouldn't do that.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: OhmyNews is strongly protesting right now and demanding a public apology. Do you think a party-level investigation should take place regarding this after the national convention ends?
[Park Sun-won]: I don't think it needs to go as far as an investigation, but I believe internal reform and behavioral changes are necessary to calm the situation and guarantee that all internet media outlets and progressive media, including OhmyNews, have the right and free access to cover the Democratic Party at any time.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: There are five Supreme Council seats. So the key point of interest is whether all three candidates from the so-called 'Team Jeong Cheong-rae' will enter the top five winning zone, or whether three pro-Lee Jae-myung candidates will make it, particularly regarding who takes 5th place. How do you foresee this? 5th place is the issue now.
[Park Sun-won]: Since the Gyeonggi and Seoul regions remain, I believe candidate Kim Yong can stably enter 5th place. People are thinking: Is it right for the party leadership to be composed of candidate Jeong Cheong-rae and the three candidates called Team Jeong Cheong-rae, or is it much better to have a picture with candidate Kim Min-seok, Park Sun-won who has state administration experience and predicted and prevented insurrection, Seo Mi-hwa who can symbolize the vulnerable and represent human rights, and Kim Yong who can represent ordinary party members? Party members can immediately judge when they look at this. Therefore, I ask you to support our pro-Lee candidates.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yesterday, SBS hosted the final debate for party chairman candidates. Which candidate do you think gained the most points, and conversely, who lost the most points?
[Park Sun-won]: The candidate who gained the most points was definitely Kim Min-seok. He demonstrated policy capability, composure, and the ability to thoroughly analyze situations and affairs. Next, candidate Song Young-gil did well as he is knowledgeable, emerging as a new core of our party, and showed the party's broad-minded dignity.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Park Sun-won]: As for candidate Jeong Cheong-rae, he was even confused about his own statements. He announced that the party, government, and presidential office consultations were not the reason for losing the local elections, but he reportedly said the 'presidential office' was excluded from that, leaving only the party and government. He said the Prime Minister didn't know, and it was just between the party and the Blue House. But it hasn't even been confirmed whether the party and Blue House agreed to make such an announcement. In that respect, I think candidate Jeong Cheong-rae performed the worst.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Was there any particular moment from yesterday's debate that left a strong impression on you personally?
[Park Sun-won]: Toward the end, there was an atmosphere of reconciliation and harmony being created. Moving forward, our party truly needs to harmonize, integrate, and unite. So I hope we can be more sincere—we are near the end of the primary race. From now on, I hope we engage in policy competition and show a united front without criticizing each other.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Currently, the president's approval rating is declining. The three candidates have different views on analyzing the cause of this drop. As you know, candidates Kim Min-seok and Song Young-gil say it's because moderate voters left due to recent policy issues. On the other hand, candidate Jeong Cheong-rae claims that the core base left, and if he becomes party leader, the core base will return, raising approval ratings by about 10 percentage points right away. Which analysis do you think is correct?
[Park Sun-won]: Honestly, we need to look at the bigger picture. Despite the president working so hard, the reason his approval ratings are dropping is that our party failed to properly deliver policy achievements so that the public could feel them directly. So rather than a matter of the core base or moderate voters, I hope we view it more broadly. It comes down to whether we are being faithful to the president's hope and future vision to make South Korea leap forward through party-presidential alignment. When the ruling party properly supports him, the president gains political momentum, which drives up his approval ratings. Therefore, let's focus on supporting the president. I hope all future debates and discussions align in that direction.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Listening to your explanation, you are saying that because party members must support the president, Kim Min-seok and the pro-Lee faction should naturally form the leadership, whereas candidate Jeong Cheong-rae acted almost like an opposition party even during his time as party leader, which was not helpful to the president.
[Park Sun-won]: That's right.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: However, candidate Jeong Cheong-rae's support rate and vote share are still quite high.
[Park Sun-won]: That is true.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: How should that be interpreted? It means a significant number of party members support candidate Jeong Cheong-rae.
[Park Sun-won]: Exactly. When we had the primary last year, candidate Jeong Cheong-rae secured an overwhelming majority. He won 65 to 35, winning by nearly double.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Park Sun-won]: So votes had to break away from that. While a significant portion did break away with the mindset that the Democratic Party needs to adopt a new working posture, even if 30 points broke away from 65 to 35, 35 still remains. That is how I see the current situation. That is why candidate Jeong Cheong-rae is hearing comments about playing 'personal politics.' Even during the presidential election campaign, he went to Honam and lived there for a month. Support in Seoul was lower at that time. He was asked to campaign in Seoul, but he went to Honam. Because of those circumstances, it seems undeniable that candidate Jeong Cheong-rae's support base solidly exists around his organization.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Lastly, the national convention is becoming overly heated. After it ends, will a true 'One Team' be possible?
[Park Sun-won]: I think two things are necessary. We must make purposeful efforts. As soon as the national convention ends, representative candidates and Supreme Council candidates, regardless of whether they won or lost, should gather and declare: "Now we are one." We need purposeful efforts, such as a 'One Team' declaration committing to having no internal conflicts, and focusing all our strength on unity, solidarity, and policy support for the president.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Park Sun-won]: Through these purposeful efforts, even though this national convention showed some signs of division, we must work so that it is ultimately evaluated as a melting-pot national convention.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Park Sun-won]: Second, we just need to focus on work. We have no time to fight amongst ourselves. The government and ruling party must show that they are working hard to restore public trust, giving citizens the conviction that the country is finally running properly and that things have changed a lot since the national convention. Everyone wants that. So by making purposeful efforts to unite and become one, and secondly by naturally uniting through work, I believe we must pursue both paths simultaneously.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So you are saying that a party split, as mentioned by some, will never happen?
[Park Sun-won]: No, there won't be one. Such talk might come up out of anger, but would splitting the party make sense? No such thing will happen.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. We will end it here today.
[Park Sun-won]: Thank you. Have a good morning.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That was Congressman Park Sun-won, candidate for Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Thank you.
[Park Sun-won]: Thank you. I am Candidate No. 7.
The copyright of this interview material belongs to SBS Radio.
When publishing full texts or citing interviews for reports,
please specify the channel name and accurate program name as shown below.
[SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show]
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.