[Editorial] The DP chair must do deep soul searching

The DP head must wonder why an increasing number of people just don’t believe his description of the prosecution’s investigation as “political oppression” to be true.

Loyal supporters of Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung, dubbed “Daughters of Reform,” provoked controversy again. The fanatical followers of the DP head recently staged a rally in front of the house of Rep. Lee Won-wook, a DP lawmaker critical of the party head, to denounce his criticism of their boss. After the protest, the representative posted a message on Facebook deploring such blind loyalty to Lee. What prompted their outrage was the lawmaker’s accusation that their public notice about the gathering before his house maliciously altered his face to "demonize" him.

After the off-track episode, DP Chairman Lee admonished his fanatical followers to refrain from “ridiculing the lawmaker even by using a manipulated image.” Lee urged them to stop offending the lawmaker from the same party, as such an act will only help the party head to be pushed into a corner. Lee even threatened to investigate the radical group at the party level.

In a surprising turn of events, Lee took the right action. But there are many who still cast suspicion on the sincerity of his admonition as “the party chair just pretended to be a mediator.” Actually, Lee invited all the accusations against him.

After a number of DP lawmakers last month voted for a motion to arrest Lee on suspicion of bribery and corruption as Seongnam mayor, his avid followers even attempted to find out who really voted for his arrest. After five days, Lee asked them to stop “internal attacks or criticisms.” Nevertheless, Lee sided with his stalwarts with quite ambiguous remarks.

Some opponents say Lee’s cunning strategy reminds them of Chairman Mao’s argument for fair cause and reasons behind every resistance and revolt. The innovation committee in the DP even considered ways to reflect opinions of Lee’s loyalists in nominating candidates in the parliamentary elections slated for April 10 next year.While behaving as if trying to keep distance from his aficionados, Lee was suspected of using them to sort out his opponents in the party ahead of the legislative elections.

Lee must punish his radical followers for manipulating an image of a DP lawmaker and making a slanderous poster. He must present a feasible way to stop them from wielding their influence in an irrational way. His signature NATO (No Action, Talk Only) approach cannot win back the hearts of the voters.

In the ongoing trial for Lee’s alleged violation of the election law, a new photo suggesting his awareness of the late Kim Moon-gi despite his repeated denials has just been released. (Kim, a close aide to Lee when he was the mayor, committed suicide last year for dubious reasons.) The DP head must seriously wonder why an increasing number of people just don’t believe his one-sided description of the prosecution’s investigation as “political oppression” to be true.