DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung resigns, eyes second term as party’s chief

Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung resigned from his post as party leader on Monday.

Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung announces he will resign from his post as party leader after a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday morning. [NEWS1]

Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung resigned from his post as party leader on Monday.

The move appears aimed at allowing Lee to bid for a second term as party chief. The DP's national convention, scheduled for Aug. 18, will elect a new leader.

"I resign as party leader following today's supreme council meeting," Lee told reporters at the National Assembly in western Seoul Monday morning.

"I will think deeply about what path the DP and I, Lee Jae-myung, should take in the face of this huge crisis facing the people and the country," Lee said, adding he will spend a "short time reflecting" before deciding on his future.

He hinted at his intention to run for a second term as DP leader, saying, "If I weren't going to run, I wouldn't have resigned."

A party chairperson must resign from the position to be eligible as a candidate in the national convention under party rules.

Lee, a former Gyeonggi governor, became DP chief in August 2022 following his razor-thin defeat in the presidential election to the conservative People Power Party (PPP) candidate, President Yoon Suk Yeol.

He has faced a slew of legal troubles, including corruption charges related to land development scandals in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, during his time as the city's mayor.

He was also indicted earlier this month over allegations of involvement in underwear company Ssangbangwool's illegal cash remittance to North Korea during his time as Gyeonggi governor.

In January, he survived being stabbed in the neck during general election campaign activities in Busan.

In the April 10 general election, Lee led his party to victory and was reelected to represent Incheon's Gyeyang-B District.

Following Lee's resignation, Rep. Park Chan-dae, the DP's floor leader and Lee loyalist, will serve as the party's acting chief.

Senior party officials indicated that Lee was stepping down ahead of the national convention to take time to regroup.

During his time as DP chief, Lee underwent a 28-day hunger strike protesting the Yoon Suk Yeol government's policies in September last year and later spent 15 days in recovery after the knife attack on Jan. 2.

If Lee is appointed for another term as DP chairman, he would be the first consecutively elected leader of the liberal party since former President Kim Dae-jung.

This would further reinforce Lee's grip over the DP, which has suffered from internal factionalism dividing those aligned with Lee and those not.

Some DP lawmakers are voicing concern over Lee's bid for a second term, questioning whether the move would help the party achieve victory in the 2027 presidential election. Others worry that Lee seeks reelection as DP leader to safeguard himself against multiple pending charges.

Most other senior party officials remained in their posts, including DP secretary general Kim Yun-duk, another close confidant of Lee's, despite expectations that they may also step down alongside the DP chief.

Party members indicated this is because the senior officials were appointed quite recently.

The People Power Party (PPP) is also preparing for its own national convention next month. Former interim chief Han Dong-hoon, who stepped down from the post in April, will bid alongside three other conservative heavyweights.

On Monday, the PPP agreed to chair seven standing parliamentary committees as proposed by the DP, ending weeks of impasse regarding the distribution of these seats.

Earlier this month, the DP unilaterally elected the parliamentary speaker and selected 11 committee heads, resulting in the PPP's boycott of parliamentary sessions.

PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho announced his party's decision Monday to accept the DP's proposal that the PPP chair seven committees, including national defense, strategy and finance, gender equality, industry and trade, foreign affairs and intelligence.

He said that while the DP is "busy competing over loyalty to Lee," the PPP will return to duties to "work for the people."

In turn, Yoon Hee-seok, a PPP spokesman, criticized Lee's resignation as DP chief with the intention of seeking a second term, saying he is "imitating" Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was reelected for a fifth term earlier this year.

"There seems to be no reason to waste time and money to hold a national convention," Yoon said in a statement, accusing Lee of trying to stay in control of the DP to circumvent the judicial system.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]