People Power Party's Rep. Jang Dong-hyuk Pushes for Direct Election of Local Chapter Heads; DP Leader Kim Min-seok Checks 'Kim Eo-jun Broadcast'

If no injunction is filed within 10 days of the disciplinary announcement, the disciplinary action is automatically confirmed. Approximately 5 days have passed since the announcement, and it is expected that the disciplinary action will remain in effect without a separate resolution from the Supreme Council, unless there is a specific objection.

Lee Jun-woo, the People Power Party's media spokesperson, stated, “If there is no injunction, the disciplinary action will be confirmed even if the Supreme Council does not make a separate resolution or a separate statement.”

Even a disciplinary action of party membership suspension for two years or less will leave a disciplinary record in one's personnel file. This record will be a significant disadvantage when applying for nomination in next year's general election, and it is analyzed that it will be an insurmountable handicap, especially if competing candidates have no disciplinary record.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, “If you apply for nomination next year with that personnel record, it will be a huge disadvantage. Because you have competitors, right? If a person with no disciplinary record for party-damaging behavior from an opposing party comes out, it’s incomparable. It’s not a competition.”

The direct election system for local chapter heads was postponed after opposition was raised in the general assembly of lawmakers. The leadership's stance is to convey public sentiment and persuade lawmakers rather than pushing it through immediately. There is a high possibility that this agenda will be re-discussed at the Supreme Council this week.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, “The lawmakers came together and gave their opinion saying, 'We oppose this direct election system.' So, the first time it was postponed, it was because individual opinions within the leadership came up and they said, 'Okay, let's postpone.' The second time, the entire Supreme Council of lawmakers asked to reconsider because of these concerns about the direct election system, so it was postponed again.”

According to public and party member surveys, support for the direct election of local chapter heads is much higher than opposition or concerns. This contrasts with the lawmakers' opposition, and the leadership intends to use this as an opportunity to convey this public and party sentiment to lawmakers to increase their acceptance.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo said, “Rather than concerns or opposition, according to party members and public opinion polls, there are far more advantages, so there are many opinions that this should be pursued. As a result, if this is done with a bit of a breather and public sentiment and party sentiment are conveyed to the lawmakers, it can become an opportunity for lawmakers to accept it, to increase their receptiveness.”

According to the People Power Party's regulations, direct election of local chapter heads is the principle, but indirect election through the steering committee has virtually continued as a custom. It is pointed out that the current system has been maintained because the steering committee is composed of a small number of members, around 10 to 20, making it convenient for local chapter heads to manage only these few steering committee members.

This indirect election system is criticized for lowering the need for local chapter heads to communicate directly with party members, ultimately leading to the problem where party members' voices are not properly reflected and the 'combat effectiveness' of local chapter heads is weakened. It is analyzed that local chapter heads themselves have preferred the indirect election system centered on a small number of steering committee members for their own convenience.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo pointed out, “It has been a system where local chapter heads were re-elected or re-approved through an indirect election by a small number of steering committee members, which range from 10 to 20. Why did it come to be like that? It's convenient for the local chapter head themselves.”

The direct election system for local chapter heads promoted by Representative Jang Dong-hyuk is not a new idea, but an attempt to normalize an existing system. The intention is to restore the system, which had been privatized and virtually defunct, to its original purpose, thereby improving the party's structure to be member-centric rather than focused on specific individuals.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, “This is not a new idea from Representative Jang Dong-hyuk; it's a system that already existed but was privatized and virtually hollowed out. He brought out this card to normalize it back to its original state.”

The introduction of the direct election system for local chapter heads is expected to foster local chapter heads who are mindful of party members and actively engage on the ground. It is analyzed that they will fight harder and be more active in the field to gain the trust of party members.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo said, “If I don't fight hard, party members won't trust me. Party members will see me as pathetic. Since they are mindful of party members, what do they do? They can't just sit on their butts. They will run around.” He predicted that local chapter heads would be actively working in various fields such as Olympic Park, streets, government ministries, and the Blue House, rather than just sitting at their desks.

He strongly criticized some media outlets for speculative reports suggesting that spokespersons and other individuals around Representative Jang Dong-hyuk would challenge for vacancies if the direct election system for local chapter heads were introduced. These reports are seen as an attempt to distort and disparage the original intent of the reform.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo asked, “How can some politicians publish reports with a distorted and skewed frame, saying this is to create positions for people working hard around Representative Jang Dong-hyuk?” He claimed that specific factions, such as those close to Jang, are misusing these reports to disparage the reform itself.

It was analyzed that Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok's intention behind Democratic Party TV starting 5 minutes earlier than Kim Eo-jun's broadcast was to curb Kim Eo-jun's influence. This is interpreted as a strategy to keep viewers who come to watch Democratic Party TV from switching to Kim Eo-jun's broadcast.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo commented, “By starting exactly 5 minutes earlier, aren't they aiming for the effect of keeping viewers who came to watch our Democratic Party TV from going to Kim Eo-jun's broadcast?” He further claimed that this could be the beginning of an attempt to reduce Kim Eo-jun's influence.

Leader Kim Min-seok's past actions have been re-examined, rekindling the 'betrayal politics' controversy. The incident where Leader Kim Min-seok moved to candidate Chung Mong-joon's camp and criticized the Roh Moo-hyun camp at the time former President Roh Moo-hyun was confirmed as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate was mentioned.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, “Former President Roh Moo-hyun was confirmed as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, but at that time, he went to candidate Chung Mong-joon. He went to that camp and poured out all sorts of criticism, condemnation, and insults on the Roh Moo-hyun camp.” He described the negative public opinion against Leader Kim Min-seok at the time and the instance where he was labeled with 'betrayal politics'.

It was analyzed that Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok is attempting to curb broadcasts that did not support him and establish his own loyalist system within the party through Democratic Party TV. The scheduling of Democratic Party TV at the same time as Kim Eo-jun's broadcast is cited as an example.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo commented, “He thinks, 'If you didn't firmly support me when I ran for the party convention, you're an enemy.' So, he says, 'Okay, now that I'm the party leader, I'll completely crush your broadcast,' and creates Democratic Party TV, scheduling it at the same time.” He also claimed that this might be an attempt to control Democratic Party lawmakers' appearances on specific broadcasts.

The possibility that Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok might use nomination rights to control lawmakers' broadcast appearances has been raised. It is analyzed that the party secretariat might track the number of times lawmakers appear on specific broadcasts, and that appearances on Democratic Party TV could become a crucial criterion for future nomination screenings.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo said, “Whether you get nominated or not depends on where you appear, right? So, there might be a document that shows how many times this Democratic Party lawmaker appeared on which broadcast. They might have told the party secretariat to count these appearances.” He expressed concern that a party leader with nomination power could exercise authority in this manner.

It is predicted that organizational mobilization within the Democratic Party will occur for the success of Democratic Party TV. It is highly likely that Democratic Party lawmakers will be encouraged to subscribe to Democratic Party TV and log in during broadcast times to click 'like'.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo commented, “To revive that broadcast, the organization will probably be activated. That is, all Democratic Party lawmakers will be told to subscribe. And to all log in at this time and click 'like'. This will surely be captured and circulated later.” He warned that such organizational mobilization could increase fatigue among internal members and even lead to embarrassing incidents.

It is analyzed that securing hosts is most crucial for Democratic Party TV to succeed in its competition with Kim Eo-jun's broadcast. The strength of Kim Eo-jun's broadcast lies in the host's directing skills and popularity.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo emphasized, “The influence of the host on Kim Eo-jun TV is very significant, so who Democratic Party TV will put forward as a host to rival Kim Eo-jun's influence is a huge issue.” He stressed that securing a host comparable to Kim Eo-jun is a key task for Democratic Party TV to gain competitiveness.

It is predicted that Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok will exert all his efforts to make Democratic Party TV a success to recover from the recent '90-degree bow humiliation' controversy caused by various missteps, including changes in dress code, and to strengthen his position within the party.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo stated, “I believe that Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok, who suffered the disgrace of the 90-degree bow this time, will put all his might into making Democratic Party TV a success to make up for it.”

The People Power Party is closely monitoring the internal divisions and movements within the Democratic Party. This is akin to observing enemy movements in the military, to identify the weaknesses of the opposition, represented by the Lee Jae-myung power, and to devise counter-strategies.

Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, “In the military, we always observe the enemy's movements. Just as observing the enemy's movements allows us to know if and where the enemy will attack, we constantly monitor the movements of the Lee Jae-myung power and the opposition, looking for weaknesses and how to respond.” He hinted at an intention to expand the battle lines through this.