Ruling party embroiled in internal dispute over cause of defeat
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is embroiled in internal disputes over the cause of its crushing defeat by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) in the April 7 by-elections, as well as over how to establish new policy strategies.
A number of members of the DPK stepped down last Thursday to take responsibility for the party’s defeat in the mayoral by-elections of the nation’s two largest cities, Seoul and Busan.
Although the DPK is gearing up for its new start by selecting a new party floor leader on April 16 and then a new party chief on May 2, party members are divided over how to push ahead with reforms, as they differ in analyzing the cause of the defeat in the by-elections.
The ruling party’s first-term lawmakers said the party, in the first place, had made the wrong decision to field candidates in the by-elections by revising its own regulations. These regulations had stipulated that the party would not field a candidate for a by-election that was triggered by one of its members resigning over their own wrongdoing. The mayoral by-elections of Seoul and Busan took place following the suicide of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon in July and the resignation of former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don in April of last year. Both were DPK members and both faced sexual harassment allegations.
The first-term lawmakers said that the party has changed to represent vested rights and interests and has been railroading controversial bills. After its landslide victory in the April 2020 general election against the PPP, the DPK has pushed ahead with its reform policies, despite the PPP’s objections, especially policies related to prosecutorial reform and real estate market stabilization.
The defeat of the DPK in last week’s by-elections is widely believed to be attributed to public disappointment with the Moon Jae-in government over its failed policies on economic issues, particularly real estate. A recent housing scandal involving employees of the state-run Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), which also spread into politics, with some ruling bloc figures also allegedly involved in improper real estate deals, further decreased support for the party.
Among the first-term DPK lawmakers, those in their 20s and 30s said that the party took a wrong step by neglecting public anger over the unjust practices in which ruling bloc figures have been swept up. In particular, they said that the party did not properly handle the controversy surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who has been accused of using his influence for his child’s academic career.
“The DPK members believed that former Justice Minister Cho Kuk was the symbol of the party’s policy drive for prosecutorial reform and that the party should not be pushed by the prosecution’s undue pressure. However, the party has caused division among the people and public anger grew in the process,” read a statement issued by five DPK lawmakers in their 20s and 30s last Friday.
“We apologize to the people who have felt anger against our unfair double standards on some ruling party figures who have become embroiled in scandals over improper real estate deals. We should have dealt with such cases using fair standards and measures.”
But the stance of the first-term lawmakers brought a strong backlash from enthusiastic supporters of the DPK who said that the party lost the by-elections because its drive for reform of the prosecution and the real estate market had been insufficient.
Such supporters have been sending messages of protest to the five firstterm lawmakers through text messages or posting critical comments on the bulletin boards of the party’s websites, demanding that they leave the party.