"We Were the Original" Dispute, Even a High-Altitude Protest... Kim Min-seok's Top Priority Is 'Unity'

[Financial News, Daejeon = Reporter Kim Hyung-gu]The Democratic Party of Korea's national convention was heated despite the heavy rain in Daejeon, and Kim Min-seok, the pro-Lee Jae Myung candidate, was elected party leader. Until the results were announced, party members stood outside in the rain and chanted slogans for the candidates they supported. Along the way, subtle tensions between supporters and even a high-altitude disturbance revealed how deep the factional conflict had become. In the end, analysts say Kim's top priority will have to be bringing together party members who were divided during the convention.

On the 17th, the Democratic Party of Korea held its 3rd regular national convention at the Daejeon Convention Center in Yuseong District, Daejeon. From the morning, the area around the venue was packed with party members. They arrived in groups on chartered buses or in private cars. Waving placards for their preferred candidates, they chanted slogans and made a final appeal to party sentiment.
There were also tensions between supporters. Party members backing Kim Min-seok highlighted the dispute over who was the 'original' Nosamo, saying they were the 'original' group that loved Roh Moo-hyun. Supporters of candidate Jung Chung-rae were unfazed and appealed to voters at the last minute by making yellow pinwheels, the symbol of Nosamo.
There was also one disturbance. A drunken party member climbed a tall lighting tower, creating a dangerous scene as he hung from the structure and caused a stir inside the venue. The Democratic Party of Korea briefly paused the convention and moved to handle the situation. Firefighters who were dispatched eventually persuaded the party member to come down voluntarily, bringing the situation under control.


During the policy speeches by candidates for the Supreme Council that followed, sharp criticism of rival factions continued. As a result, cheers and criticism from party members supporting each faction were heard at the same time. The fierce competition between factions at this convention also exposed the divisions among party members.
On this day, the pro-Jung camp collectively accused Kim Min-seok, the new party leader, and the pro-Lee camp of unfairness, citing the introduction of a preferential voting system and the withdrawal of Supreme Council candidates Kim Yung-ho and Im Mi-ae. Party members supporting them responded with cheers. Meanwhile, voices from across the venue criticizing the pro-Lee camp could also be heard, as supporters pushed back.
The pro-Lee camp also took aim at the pro-Jung camp. In particular, it targeted accusations of self-serving politics, candidate pairing strategies, and the so-called 'Lee-Jung conflict.' Supporters of the pro-Lee camp responded with cheers, but criticism erupted from the pro-Jung side.
Whether Kim Min-seok can resolve the divisions among party members, which were laid bare through the back-and-forth of cheers and criticism, is now the key issue. In particular, all three pro-Jung Supreme Council members who had clashed fiercely during the convention period — Choi Min-hee, Lee Sung-yoon, and Han Min-soo — have entered the leadership team. Analysts say Kim will need to make efforts to embrace them if he is to lead the party stably.
However, it remains unclear whether the pro-Jung camp will respond positively to Kim's efforts. As noted earlier, the seeds of unresolved conflict from the convention remain, and they have all secured seats on the Supreme Council, giving them a kind of political foothold. It is also difficult to rule out attempts by them to build an independent power base within the party.

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