KOR- Democratic Party's identity is 'reform'... Must move forward centered on party members
- Kim Min-seok will also agree... Will judge once specific plans are disclosed
- 'Team Jung Chung-rae' strong showing? Means to lead 'reform' while supporting Lee
- New leadership held a brief meeting... Results will be shared through spokesperson
- All my positions going forward will be announced officially
- Concept of 'One Team' must change... Differing opinions are natural in a democratic party
- Having dissenting views on government tax reform doesn't mean 'anti-Lee Jae-myung'
- Shincheonji alliance controversy? New party leader must resolve it directly
- Declining presidential approval ratings? Now is the time to win points through work
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyeon's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: August 18, 2026 (Tue)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyeon
■ Guest: Choi Min-hee, Senior Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Today, we will start with our interview segment. Joining us on the phone is Lawmaker Choi Min-hee, who made a proud entrance into the leadership as the Senior Supreme Council Member at the Democratic Party national convention. Hello, Council Member.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: Hello, this is Choi Min-hee, National Assembly member for Namyangju A (Hwado, Sudong, Hopyeong, and Pyeongnae).
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Congratulations on being elected as Senior Supreme Council Member yesterday. First, please share your thoughts.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: First of all, the votes I received were not mine, but votes passed on by former leader Jung Chung-rae. So, rather than feeling joyful, I feel deeply regretful that former leader Jung Chung-rae was not elected as the reform-minded party leader. That thought still dominates my mind.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Speaking of yesterday, I noticed your expression at the convention was not so bright, and I wondered why. Was it indeed because former leader Jung Chung-rae did not become party leader?
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: In any case, it wasn't a joyful situation for me.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: In connection with what you just said, yesterday you posted on Facebook that you would stand with former leader Jung Chung-rae until the end. What does this mean?
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: It means sharing the spirit that the identity of the Democratic Party as emphasized by former leader Jung Chung-rae is 'reform.' We must continue moving toward a party of party-member sovereignty based on one person, one vote, and democratic reform forces must first solidify their core before expanding to the center.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Does that mean if the new leader, Kim Min-seok, strays from that spirit, you will do whatever it takes to correct it?
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: I don't think the new leader's thoughts will differ significantly from this. And it would be right to judge once he reveals his specific plans.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Looking at how party members and the public voted...
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: Yes.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: This time, candidate Kim Min-seok was elected party leader, while three candidates from the so-called 'Team Jung Chung-rae' were elected to the Supreme Council. What do you think this signifies?
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: First, I could read the deep consideration and agony that party members likely went through during this convention process, and I think the same goes for Democratic Party supporters. So, for party members—though I kept saying otherwise—they placed emphasis on the view that candidate Kim Min-seok might be able to more actively support President Lee Jae-myung. Of course, I believe former leader Jung Chung-rae could have done even better, but that was the party members' judgment anyway. Supporters, on the other hand, felt that party reform needed to be strengthened. These two values are, in fact, values that the Democratic Party must carry forward.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: That's true.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: Actively and wisely supporting the Lee Jae-myung administration, while also continuing to reform the party. So I truly reflected on how much thought supporters put into this, and I express my respect to them once again.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Still, the dominant assessment seems to be that 'Team Jung Chung-rae' performed very well. In polls, the three Supreme Council candidates finished first, second, and third, and in opinion polls, candidate Jung Chung-rae beat candidate Kim Min-seok.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: If it hadn't been calculated under a preferential voting system, the winning margin would likely have been somewhat larger. They only announced converted figures from preferential voting. Before conversion, I believe the gap would have been wider. So supporters—which include Democratic Party supporters plus independents...
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: That's right.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: ...and those with progressive leanings, likely thought: "Support the president's governance well, but isn't it right for the Democratic Party to pursue reform?"
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: I see. Did you speak separately with the new leadership, including Leader Kim Min-seok, after the convention yesterday?
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: We had a brief meeting, but as a rule, the results of that meeting are to be announced through Senior Spokesperson Park Sung-joon. Senior Spokesperson Park was appointed yesterday.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: That's right.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: And since a chief of staff was also appointed, I believe it is right for the senior spokesperson to officially announce meeting results and such.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Regardless of the meeting results, did Leader Kim Min-seok make any personal requests to you, Senior Supreme Council Member Choi?
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: No, there was nothing like that. Yesterday, there was no time for personal conversations. Also, the leader went straight to the flood-damaged area.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Ah, that's true.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: Yes, and I want to make this clear: regarding things discussed outside official meetings—such as so-called preliminary meetings—I will never talk about them personally in the future either. Everything will be officially announced through the party spokesperson.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Understood. Yesterday, after the convention, former leader Jung Chung-rae said on his personal YouTube channel: "Leader Kim Min-seok won, but many of his arguments lost." Can the Democratic Party become 'One Team' after this convention? The two sides fought so fiercely during the race.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: If 'One Team' means that diverse voices, slightly different opinions, or disagreements should never come out, then I believe the concept of 'One Team' must change. Moving forward, our most important task, for instance, is that we need to address the tax reform bill right away. I looked closely at the materials only yesterday, and because the direction of the government's tax reform bill is correct and represents the first step of President Lee Jae-myung's style of livelihood reform, although there might be adjustments on very minor details, I believe it must be passed quickly.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Yes.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: But dissenting voices within the party are already emerging. In this situation, if someone opposes the government's tax reform bill, are we going to label all of them as 'anti-Lee Jae-myung'? I hope such things do not happen in the future. Disagreements are natural in a democratic party, and leadership ultimately lies in whether one can adjust those differing views and integrate them into a unified plan. So, even though the convention is over, the issue of the secret Shincheonji alliance is something the new leader himself promised to definitely resolve.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Yes.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: However, I think former leader Jung Chung-rae originally wanted to debate media reform, intra-party democracy, and strategies to support the Lee Jae-myung administration and win the general election. But early on, remarks like "the essence of this convention is breaking anti-Lee Jae-myung factionalism, Shincheonji, and the three-way secret alliance" forced candidate Jung Chung-rae—whom the media pointed to as Shincheonji—to offer explanations.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Right.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: Because of this, regrettably, the convention turned into one where we had to offer explanations when one side launched negative attacks. I feel sorry to everyone for this. But regarding the secret Shincheonji alliance, if such a thing exists, it would be a major issue, so since the new leader promised to resolve it somehow, we will wait and see.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: I see. Supreme Council Member, this will probably be the last question. Beyond a downward trend, President Lee's approval ratings have shown negative evaluations outstripping positive ones in some opinion polls. What role do you think the new party leadership, including yourself, should play?
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: We must handle the tax reform bill well, quickly prepare all legislation to support semiconductors and the Honam mega-project, and I believe the time has come to earn points through our work.
▷ [Kim Tae-hyeon]: Understood. We will end here for today. That was Choi Min-hee, Senior Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party. Thank you.
▶ [Choi Min-hee]: Thank you.
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※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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