Yoo Shi-min's Claim that “Jung Cheong-rae's 46% Support Upheld the Spirit of the Republic” Countered by New Tam Sa's “Public Opinion Poll Manipulation Allegations”

Writer Yoo Shi-min assessed that the principles of a republic were realized through party member sovereignty at the Democratic Party's national convention. He explained that party members thwarted attempts by the president's proxy to seize control of the party, and the 54% to 46% vote share reflected the complex judgment of party members.

He stated, "I mean, the Democratic Party is a party that implements the principles of a republic within the party under the name of party member sovereignty. Wasn't this a national convention that succeeded in upholding that?"

Writer Yoo Shi-min pointed out that the president's attempt to send his proxy to become the party leader and dominate the party goes against the spirit of a republic. Politically, he explained that the president directly appointing and electing the ruling party's leader is akin to reverting to a monarchy or aristocracy.

He interpreted the 46% vote by party members as a collective rejection of the president's intentions and a wise choice that left room for non-mainstream forces within the party.

The production team countered that the president, as the Democratic Party's first party member, has the right to express an opinion on important party decisions. They argued that immediately concluding the president's expression of wishes as party domination or intervention is a logical leap.

They also emphasized that it should be seen as an expression of opinion considering smooth cooperation as a national partner.

The production team pointed out that former Chairman Jung Cheong-rae carried out the role of party leader without even knowing the top national agenda of the Lee Jae-myung administration. They also mentioned Jung's responsibility for the virtual failure of key regions in the local elections, adding that it caused the president sleepless nights.

They further argued that from the president's perspective, it would be dreadful to continue working with such an uncooperative individual as party leader.

The production team analyzed that President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to promote former Chairman Kim Ki-hyun was an intention to forcibly remove former Chairman Lee Jun-seok and privatize the People Power Party. This was seen as stemming from self-interest to install someone who would readily obey him.

Conversely, they differentiated that President Lee Jae-myung's desire for a party leader with whom he could work well was not to satisfy personal greed but to find a partner for smooth national administration. Therefore, they emphasized that the simple desire for dominance and cooperation for national administration must be clearly distinguished.

The production team claimed that former Chairman Jung Cheong-rae's challenge for re-election was not his own will, but that he was pushed by behind-the-scenes forces. These forces allegedly used former Chairman Jung Cheong-rae to maintain control of the party and check the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction.

They explained that this connects to the assessment that party members thwarted the conspiracy to privatize the party.

Writer Yoo Shi-min evaluated that public opinion polls preserved both party member sovereignty and presidential leadership. He analyzed that ordinary citizens, not just full party members, actively participated in phone polls and caused Candidate Kim Yong's defeat.

He stated, "It was not the full members of the Democratic Party, but citizens who strongly supported the Democratic Party and worried about its future, who actively answered the phone and caused Kim Yong to lose."

The production team cited unfair election practices in the Democratic Party's national convention, such as the pre-voting system, unqualified candidates, and leakage of party member lists, raising suspicions of manipulation in public opinion polls. They specifically refuted Writer Yoo Shi-min's assessment, citing the '80 votes per person' allegation mentioned by Sisa Tapa.

They dismissed the theory that President Lee Jae-myung actively supported Candidate Kim Yong, given Kim Yong's low approval rating and organizational size.

The production team criticized, "Now, all the negative manipulations that tried to overturn the party's sentiment through general opinion polls, which Sisa Tapa's Lee Jong-eun talked about as having the power of 80 votes per person, are being revealed."

The panelists explained that the pro-Lee Jae-myung Supreme Council candidates, with five running, split the votes. This led to the phenomenon where three pro-Jung Cheong-rae candidates were elected, they analyzed.

"The five pro-Lee Jae-myung Supreme Council candidates ran, and the votes were split, weren't they?" the panelists said.

The panelists pointed out that there were signs of manipulation in the public opinion poll results, claiming that if the pro-Lee Jae-myung candidates had not split their votes, the results would have been different. They criticized the attitude of trying to cover up these manipulation suspicions under the guise of collective intelligence.

"If you look at the results of the public opinion poll, if those five people hadn't split their votes, the results would have been different," the panelists said.

Writer Yoo Shi-min viewed the appointment of spokesperson Kim Nam-guk and the strategic nomination process after the Moon Jin-seok lawmaker text message incident as evidence of 'the presidential office's control of the Democratic Party.' In response, the production team refuted Writer Yoo Shi-min's claims, stating that their investigation confirmed that the strategic nomination was decided by then-Chairman Jung Cheong-rae, not the presidential office.

Writer Yoo Shi-min stated, "When I saw those things happening, I thought, 'What is this? This means the presidential office is controlling the Democratic Party.'"

The panelists claimed that Assemblyman Kim Nam-guk's appointment as spokesperson and his strategic nomination in Ansan were spearheaded by former Chairman Jung Cheong-rae. They presented a logical rebuttal, arguing that if the presidential office had intervened, it would have taken care of Assemblyman Kim Yong, who was a presidential candidate.

"That strategic nomination of Assemblyman Kim Nam-guk was decided by Chairman Jung Cheong-rae," the panelists said.

They added that former Chairman Jung Cheong-rae's strategic nomination of Assemblyman Kim Nam-guk was not unrelated to the power dynamics within the party at the time.

The panelists criticized Writer Yoo Shi-min's tendency to draw political conclusions without basic fact-checking. They emphasized the importance of journalistic investigation as an intellectual, pointing out that claims made without verifying the truth are dangerous.

"Yes. It's not that this party has gone bad; it's Writer Yoo Shi-min who has gone bad," the panelists said.