On the 25th, political circles said that "the pro-Myeong faction within the ruling camp is making an emergency switch to convention mode." After Jung Chung-rae stepped down as Democratic Party of Korea leader a day earlier to run for another term and met former President Moon Jae-in, it meant the pro-Myeong side also began moving quickly to win over party sentiment. On this day, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said, "Abolishing the supplementary investigation power is the government's final position," and the presidential office said, "President Lee Jae-myung will have lunch with former President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House," respectively.
◇ Prime Minister Kim Min-seok who released the abolition of the supplementary investigation power
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced at about 2 p.m. that day that "we have finalized as the government's basic position the abolition of the supplementary investigation power." An unscheduled briefing was urgently noticed and held.
The issue of the supplementary investigation power is one where President Lee Jae-myung and former leader Jung Chung-rae are subtly at odds. President Lee has said several times that if even exceptional cases with no room for abuse of the supplementary investigation power are completely blocked, problems could arise later. But Jung argued for abolishing the supplementary investigation power without exceptions.
Even recently, right after returning from an overseas trip, the president said at a press conference that the supplementary investigation power is necessary, but Jung again stressed at the Supreme Council meeting on the 22nd that "the final step in prosecutorial reform is the complete abolition of the supplementary investigation power." Among hard-line party members, there were strong calls for prosecutorial reform and abolishing the supplementary investigation power.
In particular, as the president pushed ahead with appointing Han Chan-sik, a former prosecutor, as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, even ruling party supporters were putting a question mark on the Lee Jae-myung administration's will for prosecutorial reform.
With Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who is about to run for party leader, making clear his position in favor of abolishing the supplementary investigation power, some said he preemptively resolved questions about the sincerity of prosecutorial reform that could flare up in the coming party power struggle. A political source said, "If you want to secure votes from hard-line supporters during the party convention process, declaring an abolition stance can be a way," adding, "After first winning the convention, revising and supplementing during the National Assembly's legislative process can also be a way."
◇ Lee Jae-myung meets Moon Jae-in… pro-Moon becomes the casting vote
At around the same time that Kim revealed his stance to abolish the supplementary investigation power, the presidential office said, "President Lee Jae-myung will have lunch with former President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House on July 1." This is the first official meeting between the president and the former president at the Blue House.
A meeting between the president and the former president had been attempted several times before, but it repeatedly fell through due to scheduling coordination issues. This time, however, it was said to have been arranged by the president's strong will.
Why did the president seek out the former president? Within the ruling camp, there is a view that party leadership contenders increasingly need to court the "pro-Moon faction." Among the Democratic Party's traditional base, the former president is a symbolic figure. In addition, after the late former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, the Democratic Party has effectively lost its "elder statesman," and there is talk that nostalgia for a "great elder" is deepening among supporters.
A Democratic Party lawmaker from the Honam region said, "After visiting the region, I found that long-time party members all regret that there is no 'elder' in the current Democratic Party," adding, "In our party, of course, the former president could play the role of an elder."
Another reason is that many figures from the Moon Jae-in administration still hold seats in the Assembly. Rep. Yoon Kun-young, who served as director of the National Situation Room in the Moon Blue House, is serving as a rallying point for the pro-Moon camp. Han Byeong-do, the current Democratic Party floor leader, also served as senior presidential secretary for political affairs during the Moon administration. In addition, Reps. Jung Tae-ho (Blue House senior secretary for job creation), Kim Young-bae (Blue House senior civil affairs secretary), Ko Min-jung (Blue House Spokesperson), and Hwang Hee (Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST)) are firmly holding their districts. The center of gravity is weak now, but it means the pro-Moon faction could become the "casting vote" in any party leadership contest at any time.
Ruling camp officials are watching the moves of the pro-Moon camp. A Democratic Party official said, "It's unclear whether the hearts of the pro-Moon or traditional base will tilt toward the pro-Myeong side or toward the pro-Chung side," adding, "Winning them over will have a significant impact on the direction of the convention."