Ruling party chair set to consolidate power in Supreme Council vote
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's leadership election on Sunday hinted at a strengthening of its chairman's position with the results leaning in favor of lawmakers aligned with his faction.
On Sunday, Rep. Han Byung-do was elected to assume the party's floor leader role, and Reps. Kang Deuk-gu, Lee Sung-yoon and Moon Jeong-bog were also voted into the nine-member Supreme Council. The election was widely seen as a barometer of party members' support for party chair Rep. Jung Chung-rae, and a contest between allies of President Lee Jae Myung and those aligned with Jung.
Of the new Supreme Council members, Lee and Moon are considered to have closer ties to Jung, while Kang is seen as leaning toward the president.
Jung became party leader in August after Lee Jae Myung resigned from the position to assume the presidency in June. However, there have been signs of discord between the hawkish four-term lawmaker and Cheong Wa Dae, which has called for moderation. Their dissonance centered on a range of topics, including the pace of the liberal bloc's push to overhaul the judicial system, but both sides have denied speculation about a factional split in the party.
Vying for the three Supreme Council member positions were four candidates: the three eventual winners and Rep. Lee Geon-tae, a pro-Lee Jae Myung figure who was the only candidate who failed to clinch a seat in Sunday's election.
Yu Dong-chul, a runner-up in the 2024 general election race in Suyeong-gu, Busan, dropped out of the race Tuesday. Yu was considered a supporter of the Lee Jae Myung faction.
Sunday's election will likely add momentum to some of Jung's major initiatives within the party, such as giving equal weight to votes from ordinary party members and party delegates in candidate nominations, and reviving district party chapters to increase political engagement, decades after their abolishment in 2004 due to suspicions that they had been a hotbed for corruption.
Along with the newly elected council members, Rep. Seo Sam-seok and rank-and-file party member Park Ji-won are also considered to be supporters of Jung, who nominated them for the positions.
The by-election was held to replace council members who resigned on Dec. 1 to run in the June local elections: Reps. Han Jun-ho, Jeon Hyun-heui and Kim Byung-joo.
The newly elected council members are poised to serve until August.
The party also convened a vote to elect a new floor leader -- a post that also holds a seat on the council -- as Rep. Kim Byung-kee stepped down as floor leader in December amid a mounting corruption scandal in the party.
The winner of the by-election will serve the remaining four months of the floor leader's term, though there are views that the term could be extended to sometime after the June local elections.
Those running for the floor leader position were Reps. Park Jeung, Back Hye-ryun, Jin Sung-joon, as well as Han. All four lawmakers are serving their third terms, and none of the candidates were seen as clearly aligned with a faction.
A revoting session took place after Han and Back were shortlisted Sunday afternoon.
Main opposition People Power Party's floor leader Rep. Song Eon-seog on Sunday proposed a dialogue with Han on improving standards of living.
Kim Byung-kee was allegedly bribed to nominate a specific candidate to run in an election and turned a blind eye to similar bribery allegations against fellow lawmaker Rep. Kang Sun-woo.
Rep. Park Soo-hyun, senior spokesperson of the Democratic Party, said Sunday that Kim Byung-kee -- the former party whip -- should "ponder what he can do if he loves our party," in an apparent push for Kim to leave the party. Kim was awaiting a determination by the party's internal ethics committee due Monday on the level of the party's disciplinary action against the beleaguered lawmaker.
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