Divisions are accelerating within the Democratic Party of Korea's base over the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election. Lee Ho-cheol, a former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from the Participatory Government, publicly expressed support for Rebuilding Korea Party candidate Cho Kuk, and former President Moon Jae-in has been repeatedly hitting "like" on Cho's social media posts. The Democratic Party of Korea says it will respond strictly to acts of aiding other parties' candidates, regardless of rank or position.
Lee Ho-cheol, a former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from the Participatory Government, threw his support behind Cho. On the 15th, Lee wrote on his social media, "I am an ordinary member of the Democratic Party of Korea, but I support a candidate from another party; I support candidate Cho Kuk."
Lee said, "The Pyeongtaek-eul election is a by-election being held because of the Democratic Party of Korea's mistake, so the party should not have fielded a candidate," adding, "Because candidate Cho is a strategic asset of the broader democratic camp, the damage from competing against each other is great."
He then took aim at Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Yong-nam, saying, "What role did candidate Kim play with the so-called Woo Byung-woo faction? That must be disclosed," and added, "If someone declares support in the presidential election and is nominated to run, must party members support unconditionally? The Democratic Party of Korea's candidate in Pyeongtaek is shameful and suspicious."
Former President Moon also hit "like" on 14 of Cho's Instagram posts over the past week. On the 13th, he also hit "like" on a post where Cho shared a photo with a bruise under his right eye and wrote, "Deputy ministers, senior secretaries, and secretaries who worked at the Blue House under the Moon Jae-in administration came to the campaign office."
Former President Moon reacted not only to posts about Cho's schedule but also to those carrying political messages. In particular, he left a "like" on a post in which Cho called "rude" a remark by Song Young-gil, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate running in Yeonsu-gap, who criticized Cho during a radio appearance.
In politics, this behavior is being interpreted as having political significance beyond simple online interaction. Because Cho served as Minister of the Ministry of Justice in the Moon Jae-in administration and is a key figure, this series of "SNS likes" could even prompt Democratic Party of Korea supporters to shift to backing Cho.
The Democratic Party of Korea is wary of divisions within its base. Earlier, on the 10th, Democratic Party of Korea Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae held a press conference and said, "In a closed supreme council meeting, we created a special committee to investigate fair elections, and I took the role of chairperson," adding, "We will make rewards and punishments clear during the local election process."
At the same time, it sent an official letter to city and provincial party chapters titled "On the strict punishment of acts aiding other parties during the election period," saying, "If it is confirmed that a Democratic Party of Korea member supports the campaign of an independent or another party's candidate, we will impose disciplinary action without exception, regardless of rank or position."