With the appointment of Rep. Jo Jung-shik as the new party secretary-general, Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, appears to have entered the final stage of the election of ‘Lee Jae-myung-ho’. However, as the name of the non-Lee Jae-myung-gye has not yet appeared on the list of appointments, it is pointed out that ‘internal integration’ may be far-fetched.
At the Supreme Council meeting on the 31st, the Democratic Party decided to appoint five-term lawmaker Jo Jung-shik as the party secretary-general and retain re-elected lawmaker Kim Seong-hwan as the policy chairperson. Both of them are close aides who helped then-candidate Lee Jae-myung in the last presidential election with ‘Lee Hae-chan-gye’.
Rep. Jo Jung-sik served as chairman of the policy committee during the former president Lee Hae-chan. After that, he joined the Lee Jae-myung camp early in the last presidential election and took on the role of general manager, leading to victory in the primary.
Rep. Kim Seong-hwan is also Lee Hae-chan-gye, who served as chief of staff during the former president Lee Hae-chan’s time, and in the last presidential election, he assisted Lee Jae-myung in the Policy and Vision Committee under the Election Countermeasures Committee.
Of course, there is also the view that the appointment of ‘Lee Hae-chan-gye’ to the core party position called ‘3rd Party Station’ is interpreted as a tangpyeong greeting. This is because, at the very least, he avoided Inseon Lee Jae-myung-gye, a pro-Lee Jae-myung who carried the so-called ‘dog-daughters’ on his back.
However, former CEO Lee Hae-chan is also an aide who supported Lee Jae-myung early in the last presidential election. One lawmaker Hae-chan-gye said, “Although former CEO Hae-chan Lee did not approve of running for ‘Incheon Gyeyang-eul’, the fact that he still supports President Jae-myung Lee has not changed.”
In addition, the name of the non-Lee Jae-myung-gye has not been shown in key positions in the situation where 4 seats including the senior supreme member are filled with pro-Lee Jae-myung. It is pointed out that the ‘internal integration’ that President Lee has been shouting during the presidential election process is not seen, at least in the election.
On the day of his inauguration, on the 28th, the day of his inauguration, Chairman Lee completed early appointments for the party’s chief of staff (Rep. Chun Jun-ho) and spokesman (Rep. Park Seong-joon). During the last presidential election, Rep. Cheon traveled around the country with Candidate Jae-myung Lee as the head of the Matta Bus (weekly Minsaeng Bus) promotion group, and Rep. Park also served as a spokesperson for the Lee Jae-myung camp.
In the end, attention is focused on the appointment of the remaining party positions, including the two highest-ranking members of the party’s nomination positions and the chief spokesperson. Spokesperson Park Seong-joon said at a briefing that day, “Looking at the schedule, I think the (final selection results) will not come out to some extent on Friday (September 2).”