DP chief Lee positions party as center-right, sparks bipartisan criticism

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DP chief Lee positions party as center-right, sparks bipartisan criticism

Published: 20 Feb. 2025, 19:18

CHO JUNG-WOO
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a four-way discussion on a special law for semiconductors, an extra budget and other pending issues at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 20. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Liberal Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung's positioning of his party as “moderate conservative” on Tuesday has prompted criticism and confusion from both within and outside his party.

Speaking at a People Power Party (PPP) emergency committee meeting on Thursday, the party’s floor leader, Kweon Seong-dong, denounced Lee’s statement as a “contradiction,” pointing out that Lee had previously referred to U.S. troops as “occupation forces.” He further noted that key DP figures were involved in “antigovernment movements” during their activism days.

In a livestream on the pro-liberal YouTube channel Saenal on Tuesday, Lee argued the DP should be a “moderately conservative party,” adding that a new progressive bloc must be established.

He also took aim at the PPP, labeling them “far right” and “criminal.”

“Conservatives should protect sound order and values, but the PPP destroys the constitutional order with their actions,” Lee said.

In response, Kweon fired back, calling Lee himself a “textbook example of the Criminal Act.”

“Lee, a four-time offender, is currently on trial in five courts for 12 charges in eight different cases,” Kweon said, questioning Lee’s credibility in labeling the PPP as “criminal.”

Kweon further criticized the DP for “plagiarizing” the PPP’s policies.

“The Semiconductor Special Act, inheritance tax reductions and pension reforms that the DP is promoting to the press have all been strongly advocated by the PPP as a conservative party,” Kweon said, accusing the DP of imitating Santa Claus by presenting these as “great reforms” when they are actually “stolen" ideas.

People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong speaks during an emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 20. [NEWS1]

Some liberal figures have also criticized Lee’s self-proclaimed positioning of his party as moderately conservative.

“It is a historical fact that the DP has played a role in the progressive bloc,” former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during a radio interview on Thursday. “The party’s identity doesn’t change based on a unilateral declaration from the party leader — it must receive public consensus through sufficient debate.”

DP Rep. Lee In-young also expressed his "shock" on Facebook on Wednesday, saying that the DP he knows has never “pursued conservatism.”

Meanwhile, pro-Lee figures defended his claim. Rep. Jung Sung-ho pointed out in a radio interview on Thursday that late President Kim Dae-jung had also referred to his party as "moderately conservative.” The late president's remark was made during a TV debate among presidential candidates on Nov. 13, 1997.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon welcomed how Lee had “finally realized where our society should be heading” but stressed that several actions are required to become an “authentic moderate conservative.”

He advised Lee to abandon “indiscriminate cash-distribution policies,” stop being influenced by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and take the lead in creating legislation that benefits businesses.

“Most importantly, Lee must confidently participate in his trials as a moderate conservative,” Oh wrote.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, left, and Hyundai Motor President and co-CEO Lee Dong-seock pose for a photo at the automaker's factory in Asan, South Chungcheong, on Feb. 20. [NEWS1]

On the same day, Lee visited Hyundai Motor’s factory in Asan, South Chungcheong, a move targeting the business community ahead of a potential early presidential election. During a conference at the factory, Lee emphasized the need for measures to “increase domestic production and employment in strategic industries” and called for tax credits to support domestic production.

Lee made the remarks as Hyundai Motor officials discussed the company’s challenges stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” trade policies.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]