Democratic Party doubles down on reform drive

Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Cheong-rae mentioned the word “reform” 29 times and “insurrection” 17 times in his opening remarks at his first news conference since taking office on Dec. 26 last year. The prepared statement encapsulated his political trajectory over the past four months, during which he has pushed legislation to abolish the Prosecutors’ Office and establish a special court dedicated to insurrection cases. He has also repeatedly called for the dissolution of the People Power Party while emphasizing what he describes as the need to eradicate insurrection. By contrast, the word “livelihood” appeared only twice. References to the everyday economic hardships facing ordinary citizens were largely absent, including concerns such as wages failing to keep pace with high prices or the difficulty of purchasing a standard 84-square-meter apartment in Seoul, even with a lottery jackpot.

Under President Lee Jae-myung’s leadership as party chairman, the Democratic Party of Korea put forward what it called “meoksanism,” a pragmatic approach centered on addressing bread-and-butter economic concerns. Framed by the slogan “Left? Right? People are hungry,” the party’s emphasis on practicality was credited with easing perceptions among conservative voters that it was driven primarily by ideology. That strategy is widely seen as one factor behind Lee securing 49.42 percent of the vote in the June 3 presidential election, despite ongoing legal controversies.

About six months into Lee’s presidency, however, meoksanism has become increasingly difficult to discern within the ruling party. Over roughly four months since Jung assumed the party leadership, coverage of the Democratic Party of Korea has been dominated by its drive for prosecutorial and judicial reform, including efforts to abolish the Prosecutors’ Office and establish a special court dedicated to insurrection cases. The party has also stepped up calls to dissolve the People Power Party and to launch a second comprehensive special counsel investigation. During the same period, the average price of apartments in Seoul rose beyond 1.5 billion won, and the Korean won weakened to nearly 1,500 per U.S. dollar. Even within the ruling camp, there has been little assessment that the party has played a leading role in addressing these bread-and-butter economic challenges.

This policy orientation appears set to continue into the new year. At his inaugural news conference, Jung said the party’s first legislative initiative of the year would be a bill to initiate a second comprehensive special counsel investigation. He also pledged to push for passage of a bill criminalizing judicial misconduct, commonly referred to as the crime of legal distortion, despite criticism from National Integration Commission Chairman Lee Seok-yeon, who has called the proposal “a disgrace for a civilized nation.” Jung defended the effort by saying reform requires decisive action. He also vowed to revive efforts to introduce a one-person, one-vote system that would give equal weight to ballots cast by rank-and-file party members and delegates. Notably absent, however, were concrete proposals to rein in inflation or stabilize the housing market.

Under current Democratic Party legislation, a second comprehensive special counsel investigation could run for as long as 170 days. Many observers view the timeline as a deliberate effort to keep the political spotlight trained on what the party describes as the eradication of insurrection through the June 3 local elections, the first nationwide polls held under the Lee Jae-myung administration. On the campaign trail, however, candidates preparing for direct voter scrutiny have struck a noticeably different tone. Park Hong-geun, Park Jumin and Kim Young-bae, Democratic Party lawmakers who have declared their bids for mayor of Seoul, have each placed livelihood issues at the center of their campaigns. Park Hong-geun and Park Jumin have pledged to expand the supply of affordable housing, while Kim has proposed fully public operation of neighborhood bus services to improve access to public transportation across the capital.

Speculation is also growing within the ruling camp that Jung will seek reelection as party leader for another two-year term at the party convention scheduled for August. A successful bid would give him substantial influence over nominations for the 2028 general election and could strengthen his positioning for a potential presidential run in 2030. Analysts caution, however, that such calculations would carry limited political weight if the party fails to secure a decisive victory in the local elections during the second year of the Lee Jae-myung administration.