The political crisis surrounding Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and his party is deepening, with internal conflicts and external suspicions becoming intricately intertwined.
He stated, "The issue of creating a slush fund through Gyeonggi Party officials has also been newly raised," predicting that the impact of the allegations would grow. Specific details were provided, alleging that 2 million won was collected monthly from party officials to create the slush fund. He emphasized the need for a thorough investigation to clarify the source, use, and current status of the money.
He mentioned, "It is now being suggested that the Genencell Gate new drug lobbying scandal involving Kim Seung-won was not just simple lobbying but potentially involved an enormous amount of money," emphasizing the importance of tracking money movements. He particularly highlighted the financial transactions between Genencell and Rep. Kim Seung-won, forecasting that the scale of the incident would grow even larger if these allegations were linked to the Gyeonggi Provincial Party slush fund suspicions.
Commentator Song Guk-geon pointed out that the standards for vetting political figures have declined in relation to Lee Jae-myung. He said, "At that time, he had a record of defending his nephew, a violent criminal. So, on such matters, many standards have changed under the Lee Jae-myung administration, and there was also Kim Seung-won's drunk driving at that time." He re-mentioned Lee's past history of defending a minor and disabled person in a sexual assault case, and Rep. Kim Seung-won's drunk driving record from 2008. This led to criticism that the moral standards required of public officials have been lowered under the Lee Jae-myung system.
Lee Seok-yeon had previously advocated for Lee Jae-myung's departure from the party, demonstrating a different stance from Lee Jae-myung, which was identified as a key reason for this separation. This resignation is interpreted as revealing the limitations of Lee Jae-myung's 'New Lee Jae-myung' strategy for expanding his support base.
Declining approval ratings and public disaffection are forcing Lee Jae-myung to revise his strategy.
Commentator Song Guk-geon commented, "First, I think it's true that Cho Kuk is asserting his presence. Bringing up Lee Jae-myung's judicial risks ultimately goes hand in hand with the 'Moon-Cho purge' narrative." Former Minister Cho Kuk appears to be highlighting Lee Jae-myung's judicial risks to assert his political presence and, at the same time, to absorb pro-Moon Jae-in factions within the Democratic Party to build his own political force.
In contrast, the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction of the Democratic Party criticizes former Minister Cho Kuk, deeming his actions ungrateful given the amnesty and restoration of rights granted to him.
They are refusing proposals for merger alliances with the pro-Lee faction and focusing on strengthening their independent identity.
Commentator Song Guk-geon explained, "They rejected what Kim Min-seok essentially offered as a 'love call.' If they merge with the pro-Lee side now, the pro-Moon faction won't cooperate even with a merger. If he's going to make a bet, he believes it's politically more advantageous to align with the pro-Roh and pro-Moon factions, who are standing as an alternative force, rather than with Lee Jae-myung, who is effectively in a lame-duck state early in his term." This appears to be a rejection of Rep. Kim Min-seok's love call, citing a lack of justification and concerns about the departure of pro-Moon factions. The Cho Kuk Innovation Party believes that an alliance with pro-Moon factions is politically more advantageous than with the current Lee Jae-myung system, which is experiencing a lame-duck phenomenon, thus strengthening its independent course.
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