Still intoxicated with majority status

The DP must share a heavy onus as the majority party. It must cut off corruption and overhaul itself before it’s too late.

A year has passed since the Democratic Party (DP) became the majority opposition after losing in the presidential election in March 2022. Cooperation in politics has been lost due partly to the reluctance of President Yoon Suk Yeol, but the gigantic opposition party also can be blamed. The opposition has a duty to keep close eyes on state governance and affairs. But it must accept what should be accepted and exercise flexibility by adding weight to policies for national interests and the future.

But the DP is only seeking gains from its knee-jerk opposition to any policies of the conservative government and the People Power Party (PPP). The DP has been engrossed in condemning the results of Yoon’s summits with the U.S. and Japanese leaders and all his economic and security policies, even though his achievements are not small.

The DP has governing experience from liberal presidents of Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in. But the leadership’s nonsensical allegations raised serious doubts if it was really a governing party. Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom accused Yoon and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon of having a drinking binge with lawyers in Cheongdam-dong and its executive member Jang Kyung-tae attacked Yoon’s kissing the cheek of a welcoming student during his visit to the U.S. as ‘’sexual harassment,” even though the gesture is common among heads of government, including former U.S. president George W. Bush. Even party members advise discretion as there are “many other important issues” to be dealt with.

The DP has been making the most of its majority position in the legislature. It pressed ahead with a bill to strip investigative powers from prosecutors and ended up losing the presidential election to Yoon, a political rookie. But the DP pushed the law even as the opposition. It railroaded the Grain Management Act that was questioned even by experts, and invited a presidential veto. The DP drove on with other controversial bills, including controversial revisions to the Nursing Act, the Trade Union Act and the Broadcasting Act. They act merely to win favor with their traditional power base.

The party is embroiled with a chain of criminal charges. Its current leader Lee Jae-myung faces a number of probes and trials over his misdeeds as governor and mayor. Its former leader Song Young-gil is accused of bribing party members to win the chairmanhip, while Rep. Kim Nam-kook is being questioned for his suspicious possession of 6 billion won ($4.5 million) worth of digital tokens.

That’s not all. The party’s democratic movement legacy and ethical identity are also in question. At this rate, it may not be able to sustain the majority at the next legislative election. The DP must share a heavy onus as the majority party. It must cut off corruption and overhaul itself before it’s too late.