Kim Eo-jun Chooses 'Tactical Retreat' to Keep Political Influence

The recent Democratic Party convention appeared to focus less on presenting a vision of 'what I can do better' and more on a strategy of 'if we rally our own side together, we can win.' Lawmaker Jung Chung-rae in particular is seen as actively employing this strategy.

Kim Yong-min pointed out that this phenomenon reflects the importance of certain community boards such as the Ttalgin message board, suggesting an intent to secure stronger cohesion than opponents through a rallied internal base.

Park Won-seok criticized that, however deep distrust of the media may be, it is not appropriate for a party leadership candidate to answer that way at a press conference.

Park Won-seok argued that OhmyNews is not a Chosun-JoongAng-Donga type paper, and that responding negatively to the media even though it was not hostile to any particular candidate is problematic.

Park Won-seok said lawmaker Jung Chung-rae should reflect on why he is treated poorly by the media. He argued that a person at the level of ruling party leader needs such self-reflection.

Park Won-seok added that this phenomenon is peculiar and can only be understood by grasping the Democratic Party's politics over the past twenty years.

There is a perception among some politicians that politics will be easy going forward as long as they hold on to these two.

As an example, Kim Yong-min said lawmaker Choi Min-hee shares this thinking, which is why she posts daily pledges of loyalty on the Ttalgin board, pointing to the strangeness of a politics that looks only at that message board.

He analyzed that this relationship has now formed yet another faction within the camp.

He pointed out that they have not moved beyond past movement tactics such as 'anti-Chosun.'

He criticized that their politics offers little positive vision or future orientation and still remains within a 'good versus evil' framework of binary, oppositional thinking.

Such a strategy can be effective in highlighting the opposition's identity and rallying its base.

However, he noted that once a party becomes the ruling party or returns to normal circumstances, this 'anti' strategy looks odd and loses its usefulness.

In reality, however, he assessed that the leader merely repeated existing claims such as prosecutorial and media reform.

He analyzed that this suggests a fixed outlook remains at the foundation of Jung Chung-rae's worldview and political thinking.

Moreover, given that Jung Chung-rae's identity is that of a former journalist and media activist, he argued that actions such as blocking cameras and chasing reporters are unacceptable.

He said the party's development will be difficult as long as these forces do not decline.

He voiced concern over a phenomenon in which the party's direction is swayed by the influence of specific individuals.

In her statement, Choi reportedly criticized the conduct of OhmyTV by comparing it to a 2002 Chosun Ilbo editorial that induced candidate Chung Mong-joon to withdraw his support for Roh Moo-hyun.

This is analyzed as a rhetorical method that effectively defines OhmyTV as behaving like the Chosun Ilbo, seeking to exploit the camp's long-standing aversion to that paper.

It may still work with some, but he questioned who in common sense is swayed by the Chosun Ilbo's editorials or editorial stance these days.

He went further, noting that even People Power lawmakers don't read the Chosun Ilbo but watch Ko Sung-guk TV, and criticized the tactic of branding opponents as 'Chosun-like' within the democratic camp as no longer working.

This can be interpreted as meaning that progressive politics depends on specific individuals, and criticism has been raised that this is indeed how things have gone.

Kim Yong-min named 'an attitude of not taking responsibility' as writer Yoo Si-min's biggest problem. He said Yoo influences political decisions even though he is not in a position to bear responsibility for the results of politics.

This is a serious issue, and it led to criticism that involvement without accountability is undesirable.

Park Won-seok analyzed that writer Yoo Si-min greatly enjoys affecting the political scene and reshaping its landscape by founding parties. He noted that after Roh Moo-hyun's election, Yoo exercised considerable influence in founding the Reform Citizens' Party and the Uri Party, and later also ran as a presidential candidate.

He explained that Yoo appears to get considerable 'dopamine' from founding parties, such as creating the National Participation Party and continually seeking to influence party structures. Yet Park Won-seok evaluated that every party Yoo has joined has failed, calling him a 'party breaker.'

Park Won-seok predicted that Yoo Si-min will not step into politics directly going forward, but will instead try to give advantage in the next presidential race to the so-called 'pro-Moon' forces close to him. To that end, he expected Yoo to contribute to building a party that secures a meaningful number of seats in the 2028 general election.

According to lawmaker Park Seon-won, Yoo has accumulated considerable assets, so if he stood out front himself many things would be exposed, which would be disadvantageous; the analysis is that direct political involvement will be difficult for him.

Kim Yong-min argued that, contrary to the forecast that Yoo Si-min would act as a behind-the-scenes architect, Kim Eo-jun is in a position where he must keep 'doing business' for now. He analyzed that because there is no fallback if power shifts even slightly, Kim has no choice but to make realistic judgments.

He added that Kim appears to be working hard to foresee party leader Kim Min-seok and attempt a soft landing.

Park Won-seok said he views Kim Eo-jun more as a 'media entrepreneur' than as a journalist. He analyzed that Kim would not have created the current situation himself, and that this is the result of realistically judging the disadvantage of the present political situation.

In other words, the assessment is that Kim Eo-jun appears to have chosen a 'tactical retreat' amid his current political disadvantage.

Park Won-seok believes Kim Eo-jun still holds the notion that his influence is maximized only when there are no rifts within the Democratic Party. However, he pointed out that the media landscape has changed considerably from before, so his influence is no longer what it was.

He assessed that the limits of both Kim Eo-jun and Yoo Si-min are now quite exposed, emphasizing that the exclusive influence of specific individuals has diminished in a diversified media environment.

However, he believes the defeat at this convention will lead party members to judge that they failed to fulfill their roles as party leaders over the past year.

Accordingly, he predicted their utility value will fall going forward, and that even if Choi Min-hee enters the leadership, her standing will not be what it was. This is interpreted as a signal that an era in which the party was swayed by the influence of specific individuals is coming to an end.

The outcome of this convention is expected to have a major impact beyond a mere change of personnel, on intra-party dynamics and the future direction of the Democratic Party.