These days in the Democratic Party of Korea, the arithmetic is said to be complicated over which district former leader Song Young-gil will run in for the June 3 by-election. Previously, Song served five terms in Incheon Gyeyang-B and had hoped to run in this by-election in the same district. But when former Blue House Spokesperson Kim Nam-joon, a close aide to President Lee Jae-myung, threw his hat into the ring for Gyeyang-B, a new variable emerged. In the background is the landscape for the next party leadership race.
Former leader Song Young-gil said in a phone call with ChosunBiz on the 3rd, "I live in Gyeyang-B, and when I yielded to President Lee Jae-myung and left, local residents felt disappointed," adding, "I am not in a position to say I will leave on my own." Gyeyang-B is holding this by-election because Lee won both the 2022 by-election and the 2024 general election there, achieved a second term, and then moved straight to the presidency.
At present in Gyeyang-B, former Blue House Spokesperson Kim Nam-joon is preparing to run. Kim, the former Spokesperson, is regarded as "the president's closest confidant." From the party leadership's standpoint, it should be seen as difficult to push aside the former Spokesperson Kim in order to give former leader Song the nomination for Gyeyang-B.
Yeonsu-A, which was mentioned as an alternative, also does not present an easy situation. Yeonsu-A is the district of Incheon mayoral candidate Park Chan-dae. Former lawmaker Park Nam-chun is preparing for the by-election in step with candidate Park Chan-dae. For former leader Song to run in Yeonsu-A, candidate Park Chan-dae, who holds the district, must give the "OK" sign, but the recent mood is said to be moving in a different direction.
An official of the Democratic Party in Incheon's political circles said, "If former leader Song takes Yeonsu-A, there is a strong possibility that Democratic Party figures in Incheon who once followed him will rally around Yeonsu-A," adding, "If that happens, even if candidate Park Chan-dae becomes Incheon mayor, it will be hard to guarantee reelection, and it would mean even losing his own base, so he is unlikely to yield Yeonsu-A."
Even broadening the scope to the greater capital area, the situation is not much different. In the case of Ansan-A, Gyeonggi, the possibility of former Korea Institute for Democracy deputy director Kim Yong running has recently grown. Inside and outside the party, people say, "In the capital area, there is no suitable option to make former leader Song's district." One two-term Democratic Party lawmaker also said, "Since former leader Song has experience running a nationwide race, it would not be a problem even if he runs in Busan or Honam."
Regarding this, former leader Song said in a phone call with ChosunBiz, "The leadership says we have to wait because (by-election) districts will open up only after gubernatorial candidates are finalized, and I understand that," adding, "If I say now where I will go, it would be tantamount to disregarding other candidates, so I will wait until Apr. 20." He said, "Whether it's Gyeonggi Province or anywhere else, it doesn't matter," but added, "Right now I cannot say with my own mouth where I will go. Gyeyang-B is my consistent view."
Meanwhile, the equation surrounding former leader Song's district is complicated because it is also related to the next party leadership contest. If he returns to the National Assembly as a six-term lawmaker, he could become a burdensome figure for leader Jung Chung-rae, who is preparing for the next leadership race, as well as for Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who represents the "pro-Lee" faction.
A Democratic Party official said, "Given that former leader Song, a senior figure who already served as party leader, could return through a by-election and again seek the leadership, the leadership's calculations are becoming even more complex," adding, "From the current leader's perspective, who is considering another run for party leadership, it could be burdensome to easily grant a nomination to a figure with organizational strength and symbolic value."