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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Democratic Party Convention Degenerates into Disputes Over Past, Ignoring Future

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Democratic Party is holding its national convention to elect a new leader, but candidates are embroiled in disputes over past actions and party lineage.
  • Elder party members and younger politicians urge a focus on future policies rather than internal conflicts.
  • Concerns are rising that the party is regressing by focusing on past grievances instead of addressing current issues like youth unemployment and housing.

The Democratic Party's national convention, set to elect its next leader, has kicked off with preliminary selections, but internal divisions are overshadowing the process. Candidates are locked in debates about party 'orthodoxy' and their own political histories, leading to concerns that the party is looking backward rather than forward.

The candidates are fighting a pathetic battle over the past. Debates about the past are meaningless. The convention should be about discussing the future.

— Moon Hee-sangA former National Assembly Speaker, criticizing the current focus of the convention.

Elder statesmen within the party, like former National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, have criticized the focus on past disputes, emphasizing that national interests should precede party politics. He stated, "The candidates are fighting a pathetic battle over the past. Debates about the past are meaningless. The convention should be about discussing the future."

The party and the government must work as one to solve various problems. The convention should focus on how to stably support state affairs together with the government, rather than conflict.

— Nam In-soonA four-term legislator, emphasizing the need for party-government unity.

Lawmakers are also calling for unity between the government and the ruling party to address national challenges. Nam In-soon, a four-term legislator, stressed the need for the convention to focus on how the party can support the government's policies. Meanwhile, younger party members are voicing concerns that the issues important to them are being ignored. Mo Gyeong-jong, chairman of the Youth Committee, highlighted the disconnect between the party and young voters, particularly regarding asset formation and housing. He warned that young people are indifferent to the ruling party and that the convention must prioritize these critical youth issues.

Now, those who have just run for election have started to pay attention (to youth issues). We must deeply reflect on the fact that young people are indifferent to the current ruling party. The top priority for youth policy is asset formation and housing issues, which must be addressed at this convention.

— Mo Gyeong-jongChairman of the Youth Committee, highlighting the disconnect with young voters.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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