The 'Hong Joon-pyo love call' from Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, is connected to 'government extensibility' after taking power. This reflects the deep consideration to learn from the 'exclusivity' of the Moon Jae-in administration, which was launched following the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. At that time, the exclusion of the Bareunmirae Party, which joined the impeachment after breaking with the pro-Park faction, is believed to have heightened the limitations of the government's extensibility. The key is integrating both the left and right. It aims for stable government operation after taking power, going beyond the typical electoral strategy of external expansion.
Jo Seung-rae, chief spokesperson for the party's central election countermeasure committee, noted on the 13th regarding Lee Byeong-tae, the former KAIST professor who served as the policy director of Hong Joon-pyo's People Power Party presidential primary camp, that he has "a diverse experience and career, and he has relatively clearly expressed his personal beliefs against martial law and in favor of impeachment," adding, "It is true that there have been various discussions inside and outside the camp about recruiting him.
There has been no official decision from the party's election committee concerning the appointment of the former professor. Although the former professor himself said on Facebook, "I will join the Lee Jae-myung camp. I intend to convey mainstream economic discourse," he is currently in a pending state due to past remarks. However, it is said that candidate Lee has directly requested a review of recruiting 'Hong Joon-pyo's economic strategist' and that there is a shared perception within the party that this would be a positive image of the 'Democratic Party=conservatism.'
The support group for the former mayor of Hong chose the Democratic Party on the same day. Supporter groups 'Hong-samo,' 'Hong-sarang,' and 'Gukmin Tonghap Jin Hong' stated at a Democratic Party press conference, "Our primary goal is to uphold the true values of conservatism," adding, "Since candidate Lee Jae-myung is advocating for unity, we will share the values we pursue with him." It is said that Lee Un-joo, a Supreme Council member who returned to the Democratic Party after leaving the People Power Party, played a bridging role in the recruitment process.
This movement came just a day after candidate Lee directly mentioned the former mayor Hong. On the previous day, candidate Lee posted on Facebook an article titled 'Remembering the Romantic Politician Hong Joon-pyo.' He referred to former mayor Hong as "a politician who does not forget humor, wit, and the spirit of unity" and "the most burdensome experienced rival in the presidential election." He then suggested, "Let's share a glass of makgeolli when you return from the United States."
In this post, candidate Lee specifically mentioned 'left-right unified government,' 'regulatory innovation for an advanced industrial nation,' 'expansion of investment in advanced technology,' and 'military conscription.' These were statements made by former mayor Hong during the recent People Power Party primary when he proposed 'the end of the 87 system and the 7th republic.' Candidate Lee wrote that he hopes "we can join forces for the future of South Korea," regardless of ideological, factional, or supporting party differences.
A member of the party's election committee stated, "The Moon Jae-in government was also born from impeachment, but at that time it failed to embrace the supporters of the Bareunmirae Party and isolated itself," adding, "Many believe that such exclusivity created the limitations of the government itself." The expectation of 'winning the election with the highest percentage of votes' within the party reflects this trend. A key election committee member noted, "We need to secure at least 55% to operate the government stably," and emphasized that "to achieve this, we need to accept everyone except the anti-government faction to gain overwhelming support."
However, there are also internal concerns. A member of the ruling party's leadership stated, "While it's good that the ideological spectrum within the party is diverse, a political party is a group that gathers to pursue certain values," emphasizing that "if there is no common ground, problems are bound to arise when entering into one group." This means that conflicts are inevitable not only over the core issues of economic growth, distribution, and taxes, but also in government operation.