Blue House, Ruling Party Worry Over Convention Fallout: 'Divisions Among Supporters Run Deep'

The intensifying clashes among Democratic Party leadership contenders are raising concerns within the Blue House and the ruling party about the potential fallout from the upcoming convention. The competition, involving a former prime minister and a former party leader, has escalated beyond factional disputes to encompass debates on government policies, leading to predictions of considerable post-convention repercussions.

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The important task is to well mend the divided situation after the convention and move forward as one.

Inside the Blue House, there is a view that the direction of governing momentum hinges on how the next leadership unit manages the divisions that emerge from the convention. The current situation, where the Democratic Party's support is rising while the president's approval rating is falling, is seen as a "decoupling phenomenon" partly driven by internal party divisions among supporters.

A Blue House official told the Hankyoreh on August 9 that "the important task is to well mend the divided situation after the convention and move forward as one." The official noted that the factional conflict between the pro-Chung Sye-kyun and pro-Lee Jae-myung camps has reached an extreme. The disputes have devolved into arguments over legitimacy, past actions, and even conspiracy theories about Shincheonji's involvement. Furthermore, the use of responsibility for the government's launch of a single-stock leverage financial product as an attack vector is seen as having crossed a dangerous line.

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It seems like it will take considerable time (to mend the conflict). Even if the candidates immediately accept the results, the divisions and conflicts among supporters are so deep that it is worrying.

Within the Democratic Party itself, voices are emerging that worry about the post-convention period, which has devolved into emotional disputes. A veteran lawmaker from the Seoul metropolitan area expressed concern, stating, "It seems like it will take considerable time (to mend the conflict)." The lawmaker added, "Even if the candidates immediately accept the results, the divisions and conflicts among supporters are so deep that it is worrying."

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We must preserve the Democratic Party's convention virtues and traditions of the winner's embrace and humility, and the loser's acceptance.

Public calls for internal harmony are also continuing. Five-term lawmaker Park Jie-won wrote on Facebook on August 6, "We must preserve the Democratic Party's convention virtues and traditions of the winner's embrace and humility, and the loser's acceptance." Lawmaker Lee Yeon-hee also stated, "Unity is not the duty of the loser but the responsibility of the winner, and embrace is the appearance of the strongest leadership."

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Unity is not the duty of the loser but the responsibility of the winner, and embrace is the appearance of the strongest leadership.