Ruling Party Also Sees 'Nomination Turmoil' Across the Board... Is It About the Next Party Leadership?

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[Financial News] Internal "nomination turmoil" within the Democratic Party is growing. Recent debate over whether to nominate Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Institute for Democracy, has exposed factional conflict inside the party. Tensions surrounding the Democratic Party primary for Governor of Jeonbuk are similar. Some analysts say these nomination disputes amount to a preview of the next party leadership race.
According to political sources on the 24th, the party leadership is weighing whether to nominate Kim, the former deputy director. The concern is that nominating him, while he still awaits a Supreme Court of Korea ruling over allegations that he received illegal political funds, could hurt the broader election climate.
Cho Seung-rae, the Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on CBS Radio on the 22nd that, regarding Kim, "There seems to be a stronger view that the negative aspects outweigh the positive ones within the party."
Kim Young-jin, vice chair of the Democratic Party of Korea Talent Recruitment Committee, shares that view. Appearing on SBS Radio on the 16th, he said, "There has never been a case where the Democratic Party, as a public party, nominated someone who was awaiting a Supreme Court ruling."
As party officials handling nominations voice opposition to Kim's candidacy, some believe the process could effectively lead to his exclusion.
On the other hand, the pro-Lee Jae Myung camp is pressing the leadership to nominate Kim. Publicly, it argues that Kim is a victim of a fabricated prosecution by the prosecution service and uses that to justify the nomination. But analysts say the real aim is to secure a rallying point for the pro-Lee camp by helping Kim enter the National Assembly.
The Jeonbuk gubernatorial primary is also widely seen inside and outside the party as part of the broader struggle for party leadership. Ahn Ho-young, who is running for governor of Jeonbuk, went on a hunger strike demanding a reinvestigation into allegations that rival candidate Lee Won-taek had a third party pay for meals. On the 12th day of the protest, he was taken to a hospital on the 22nd after his health deteriorated.
The pro-Lee camp is now questioning the fairness of the party leadership, pointing to Lee's first Ethics Inspection Unit review, which concluded there was no wrongdoing, and to the fact that Democratic Party leader Jeong never visited the hunger strike site before Ahn was taken to the hospital. Some also argue that the close relationship between Jeong and Lee may explain the outcome.
In response, pro-Lee Supreme Council members Lee Un-ju and Kang Deuk-gu visited the hunger strike site before Ahn was transported and sharply criticized Jeong.
Lee said, targeting Jeong, "I feel deeply disheartened that a fellow lawmaker has been on a hunger strike, and the party leader's office is right there on the way, yet he has not come even once or even shaken hands with him. There is a problem with how the party has ended up in this situation."
Kang said, "No matter how important the on-site Supreme Council meeting may be, I cannot agree with a party leader who ignores a party member who has been staging a hunger protest for more than 10 days and just walks away." He added, "I appeal to the party leader. Please listen to Ahn and hold his hand."
Some say the dispute over Kim's nomination and the controversy over Jeong's alleged snubbing of Ahn have opened the curtain on the next party leadership race between the pro-Lee camp, which seeks to regain control of the party, and the pro-Jeong camp, which is challenging for a second term. At the same time, there are concerns that this leadership contest could become a liability for the party ahead of the local elections.
One Democratic Party official said, "Some level of noise around nominations is inevitable," but added, "If open conflict between the leadership camp and the non-leadership camp is exposed like it is now, it will not be very helpful in an election period."
gowell@fnnews.com Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter