Lee Jae-myung’s never-ending political aspiration

Lee must deeply reflect on its meaning before bidding for the leadership.

Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung resigned Monday as head of the majority party with less than two months left before the national convention on August 18 to elect its new leadership. Lee said he will soon make a decision on his rebid for the chairmanship. But he added he would not step down if he decided to not run in the party race. His rebid for the leadership consolidates public concerns about Lee trying to protect himself from a plethora of his own judicial risks by establishing a unipolar system in the party.

Lee is undergoing four trials simultaneously over his alleged involvement in two suspicious development projects he approved as Seongnam mayor; violation of the Public Official Election Act; committing subornation of perjury; and the illicit remittance of money to North Korea in return for favors. If Lee is convicted in one of the four trials, he cannot run in any elections. Pro-Lee lawmakers publicly say the party can justify its battle against the prosecution only when he keeps his post in the party.

We wonder if the DP has turned into a law firm to safeguard its boss from his judicial risks. But the transformation will help push the party into a bigger crisis. If Lee can extend his two-year term, he can exercise the rights to nominate candidates in the 2026 local elections before the 2027 presidential election. The DP already revised its constitution to help Lee extend his term despite his snowballing judicial risks. A Supreme Council member of the party even extolled Lee as “father of the DP.”

Lee has no competitor in the internal race. No one dares to bid for the chairmanship after a former lawmaker couldn’t get nominated for a seat in the April 10 parliamentary elections after competing with Lee over the chairmanship in the previous convention. That strongly hints at the possibility of recommending Lee to reclaim the seat without holding an election.

As head of the party 20 years ago, former President Kim Dae-jung extended his two-year term, but not without staging a race. Some party members criticize the DP for an alarming lack of competition, but sadly, their voices cannot get any traction in a party championing the spirit of democracy.

The past 22 months Lee spent serving as the party leader were marked by arrogant legislation and a methodical move to protect him from his own judicial risks. Blind support for Lee from his diehard fans made party democracy retreat. Compromise vanished while conflict deepened. If Lee wants to run for president again without any sense of responsibility, it will backfire. What do the recent poll results on his performance — 58 percent disapproval vs. 33 percent approval — mean? Lee must deeply reflect on its meaning before bidding for the leadership.