First-time lawmakers mostly align with DP leader Lee

General election 2024

Published: 16 Apr. 2024, 19:17 Updated: 16 Apr. 2024, 19:40

First-time lawmakers mostly align with DP leader Lee

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during an election committee disbandment ceremony at the party's headquarters in western Seoul on last Thursday, a day after April 10 general election. [NEWS1]

First-time lawmakers aligned with Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung are emerging as the party’s new mainstream following last week’s general election.

The DP and its sister Democratic United Party — created for proportional representation — fielded 175 lawmakers for the next National Assembly, including 73 set to serve their first term. Of its parliamentary debutantes, 39 have political kinship with Lee, according to the JoongAng Ilbo analysis.

The new composition reflects that Lee has tightened his grip on the liberal DP.

The nomination process for the April 10 general election consolidated Lee’s control over the party by granting candidacy to figures close to Lee. The scheme pushed out nominees not aligned with Lee and made them ineligible to run in the election as DP candidates.

An incoming first-year lawmaker close to Lee told the JoongAng Ilbo that “the factors that might undermine the unity of the party are now gone” as those who are not aligned with Lee were “shaken out.”

The DP insiders consider the newly elected pro-Lee lawmakers as hardliners.

With Lee's standing becoming "solid," his faction gained a visible dominance in the party compared to when Lee’s allies were sidelined during former president Moon Jae-in's administration.

Lee Jae-gang, right, lawmaker-elect of Uijeongbu-B District in Gyeonggi, campaigns with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung in the city's market on March 23. [NEWS1]

Lee's closest allies are those who assisted him during his key political eras: mayoral years from 2014 to 2018 for city of Seongnam in Gyeonggi, gubernatorial years from 2018 to 2021 representing Gyeonggi and the DP primaries for the presidential race in 2021.

These people were architects of Lee’s landmark policies such as basic income, also known as universal monthly stipend and Gyeonggi’s provincial currency. They are likely to spearhead Lee's policies within the National Assembly.

Lee Jae-gang of Uijeongbu-B District in Gyeonggi managed inter-Korean affairs at the Gyeonggi provincial office as a vice governor while Lee served as Gyeonggi governor. During the same period, An Tae-jun, who will represent Gyeonggi’s Gwangju-B District at the 22nd National Assembly, served as a vice president at the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation.

While Lee was the Gyeonggi governor, Yun Jong-kun of Gyeonggi’s Anseong District was a senior secretary for political affairs in 2020 and 2021, and Cho Gye-won, who will represent South Jeolla’s Yeosu-B District, was a senior policy secretary. Mo Gyeong-jong, a lawmaker-elect for Incheon’s Seo-C District, was responsible for designing youth policies during Lee's tenure as a governor. Kim Young-hwan of Gyeonggi’s Goyang-D District handled the finances and planning at the transition committee before Lee started his term as a governor.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung joins political campaign for Kwak Sang-eon on April 8 in central Seoul. Kwak won a parliamentary seat of Jongno District in Seoul in the April 10 general election. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

Those who proactively led the election campaign during the DP’s primaries in 2021 claimed victory in the recent parliamentary election.

Yang Moon-seok, Kwak Sang-eon and Lee Sang-sik were all former chiefs of Lee's regional committees during the party’s presidential primaries.

Kim Wu-yeong, who managed the political affairs at Lee’s camp, received the DP’s nomination for Seoul’s Eunpyeong-B District over Kang Byung-won, who is known to not be friendly with Lee Jae-myung. Lee Yeon-hee of Heungdeok District in North Chungcheong strategized campaign plans to help Lee win in the 2021 presidential primaries.

Five attorneys who defended Lee in the Daejang-dong land development scandal successfully made their ways into the National Assembly. They are likely to fend off legal problems and clear a path for Lee to run in the upcoming presidential race in 2027.

Park Gyun-taek and Yang Bu-nam — representing Gwangju’s Gwangsan-A District and the Gwangju Seo-B District — were Lee's legal representatives. Kim Dong-ah, lawmaker-elect of Seoul’s Seodaemun-A District, and Lee Keon-tae of Gyeonggi’s Bucheon-C District represented Jeong Jin-sang, Lee’s former aide for political affairs who was also involved in the scandal. Kim Gi-pyo, who will represent Bucheon-B District, once described Lee as his “alter ego.”

The Daejang-dong scandal refers the accusation against Lee on the charges of bribery and corruption related to an apartment and real estate development project in southern Gyeonggi.

The opposing and government-aligned People Power Party’s former interim leader Han Dong-hoon blasted the nomination of the five attorneys, saying “Lee paid his legal counseling fee by handing them the party’s nomination [for the April 10 general election].”

Park Jeong-hyun, left, member of the DP’s supreme council, sits next to Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on Nov. 3 at the National Assembly in western Seoul. [YONHAP]

Those who worked in the party’s leadership positions after the 2022 DP national convention that named Lee Jae-myung as the party leader are set to become lawmakers.

Han Min-soo, the party’s spokesperson, will represent Seoul’s Gangbuk-B constituency. Park Jeong-hyun, member of the DP’s supreme council, will take his office for Daejeon’s Daedeok District. Five other new DP lawmakers also served the party under Lee’s leadership.

Three incumbent aides to Lee, Chung Chin-ook, Kim Hyun-jung and Kim Moon-soo, also won in their electoral districts in Incheon, Gyeonggi and South Jeolla.

Lee additionally directly scouted 12 people to the DP who successfully won seats at the National Assembly.

Some DP politicians worry whether a Lee-centric party would be beneficial for the 2027 presidential election.

A political heavyweight who spoke on the condition of anonymity warned of an extreme hardline stance that would only validate and push for Lee's agenda. He said that Lee should feel a “heavy responsibility” for seizing parliamentary power.

A DP lawmaker-elect who will begin his second term said that "moderates are likely to withdraw their support to the party" if Lee's faction becomes too preoccupied with supporting his agenda, and said that the party should care the public livelihood to have voters feel "political efficacy."

BY SUNG JI-WON, KIM SUNG-JAE, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]