Competition within the party is heating up over the Democratic Party of Korea's by-election for supreme council members to be held on Jan. 11 next year. The party leadership is drawing a line against a "Myung vs. Chung (pro-Lee Jae-myung vs. pro-Jung Chung-rae) showdown frame," but figures in the pro-Lee camp who are not aligned with Jung Chung-rae are publicly taking issue with "discord between the party and government," creating a subtle tension with the pro-Jung faction.
Two-term lawmaker Kang Deuk-gu held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 15th and declared a bid in the supreme council by-election, saying, "A single team between the party and the presidency is essential."
Kang said, "We must root out insurrectionist forces with President Lee Jae-myung at the center and unite in an orderly fashion," adding, "We need a disciplined leadership." Kang is a closest aide to Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and served as senior vice secretary general when Lee was party leader, placing him in the core pro-Lee camp. About 10 incumbent lawmakers, including Kwon Chil-seung and Min Byung-deok, joined him at the declaration event to express support.
So far, five people have officially announced bids for the supreme council by-election. Before Kang, pro-Lee candidates Lee Geon-tae, a lawmaker who had served as an attorney in the Daejang-dong development corruption case involving the president, and Yoo Dong-cheol, the Busan Suyeong District Party Committee chair who clashed with leader Jung Chung-rae after being cut off during the Busan provincial party chair race, declared their runs. Among those seen as pro-Jung, lawmaker Lee Sung-yoon has formalized a bid. In addition, lawmaker Moon Jeong-bok, the party's deputy secretary general for organization, has signaled a run on the 16th, and there is talk that Lim Oh-kyung, head of the party's civil complaints and policy office and considered another key aide to Jung, may also run.
The party leadership continues to reject the "pro-Lee vs. pro-Jung" framing surrounding this by-election. Chief spokesperson Park Soo-hyun told reporters that day, "It is natural for various strategies and messages to emerge during an election phase," adding, "I don't understand why a pro-Lee–pro-Jung frame has appeared." On Facebook on the 13th, Park also said, "Leader Jung views the terms 'pro-Lee' and 'pro-Jung' as a deliberate divide-and-rule tactic intended to topple the Lee Jae-myung administration through Democratic Party division." The point is that some candidates voicing views different from Jung's is merely election strategy, not a factional showdown.
However, contrary to the leadership's explanation, the race increasingly appears to be hardening into a "Myung vs. Chung showdown." Pro-Lee candidates are repeatedly criticizing the "Jung Chung-rae leadership's" style of running the party and are putting the need for party-government coordination at the forefront.
Kang said that day, "On the surface, (discord between the party and government) is visible," adding, "Even the slightest gap must now disappear. Including message management, there should be a coordinating role to pre-align (party and government positions)." Yoo Dong-cheol, who declared earlier, and lawmaker Lee Geon-tae likewise said, respectively, "Oversight of power within the party is necessary," and "There is criticism that the party is out of sync with the government, undermining the effectiveness of the Lee Jae-myung administration," each presenting themselves as the right fit for a "single team between the party and government."
Inside and outside the party, many see this supreme council by-election as a vote of confidence in the "Jung Chung-rae leadership." Observers say the number of the three supreme council seats taken by the pro-Lee and pro-Jung camps will significantly affect how leader Jung runs the party going forward.