Kim Min-seok Elected as New Democratic Party Leader... Can He Overcome Internal Strife?

[Anchor]

Political reporter Kim Kwan-jin is here with us to take a closer look at the results of the Democratic Party's national convention.

Q. What factors led to the victory of new Party Leader Kim Min-seok?

[Kim Kwan-jin : The turning point for the Democratic Party's national convention was undoubtedly the Honam primary the day before yesterday. Up until then, it was an ultra-tight race with a mere 1 percentage point difference in vote shares. However, candidate Kim Min-seok secured a majority in Honam, widening the gap to over 14 percentage points and seizing victory. The atmosphere was so shadowed by defeat that even candidate Jung Chung-rae admitted that Honam's choice was always right. Analysts suggest that party members in Honam, considered the stronghold of the Democratic Party, cast their votes for Kim's message on ending the Lee-Jung conflict and stabilizing party-government relations, rather than Jung's call for a reformist party leader, given that only one year and two months have passed since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration. However, outside of Honam, candidate Jung performed well, and three pro-Jung figures secured seats on the Supreme Council, taking up 3 out of the 9 Supreme Council slots, leading to predictions that the influence of the pro-Jung faction to keep party leader Kim Min-seok in check will persist.]

Q. Will the Democratic Party overcome internal strife following the national convention?

[Kim Kwan-jin : Looking back at the August 17 national convention, it began with the "exhumation" theory and was accompanied by harsh expressions such as "betrayal" and "crucian carp IQ." It escalated into emotional confrontation, raising concerns and criticism that it might turn into a "convention for party split." However, given that candidate Jung himself claimed to be pro-Lee and publicly swore that there would be no leaving the party in his vocabulary, the possibility of divisions spreading due to the aftermath of the convention does not appear to be high for now. The problem lies in ideological conflict. Candidate Kim has placed weight on the so-called "New Lee Jae-myung" expansion of horizons, broadening the support base to the political center and some conservative groups, much like President Lee Jae-myung's theory of a structural majority. On the other hand, candidate Jung has called for the consolidation and integration of reformist-progressive forces, including a merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party. This national convention effectively staged a new battle over these ideological differences, revealing that neither side holds a clear dominance. Consequently, forecasts suggest that underlying conflicts could erupt as the 2028 general election approaches.]


Q. Is there a possibility of policy changes for the Democratic Party after the national convention?

[Kim Kwan-jin : Many predict that the new party leadership will lead the party in the direction of maintaining the Democratic Party's existing policy directions while modifying or supplementing them when necessary. For instance, regarding the government's tax revision bill, new leader Kim Min-seok mentioned during the convention that discussions on fine-tuning details are necessary, pointing out in particular that the complete abolition of the long-term holding special deduction for non-resident single homeowners is effectively a tax hike. Regarding the revised Criminal Procedure Act as well, many expect that if problems arising from the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights materialize in tandem with the launch of the Prosecution Service and other bodies in October, the Kim Min-seok leadership will be relatively more flexible regarding discussions on amendments or revisions.]

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.