"Mount Everest stands tall because the Himalayan range supports it from below."
A two-term lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea recently shared these words in a meeting with this reporter. The point was that ignoring the grassroots sentiment that supports the party could, in an instant, reduce it to a "dwarf mountain" on the political stage. The warning followed that the success or failure of the June 3 local elections and parliamentary by-elections, just over 20 days away, will be decided not by the popularity or buzz surrounding any particular figure, but by grassroots public sentiment.
A sense of crisis can be read within the ruling bloc: even support that appears as solid as Everest can crumble in an instant. Indeed, the Democratic Party's expression ahead of the election is visibly stiffening. Unlike earlier expectations that the ruling party would sweep the first nationwide election since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration on the back of a "presidential halo effect," the landscape is shifting rapidly. In the Seoul metropolitan area and the Yeongnam region, which have emerged as the fiercest battlegrounds, opposition candidates who had trailed far behind ruling party contenders are closing the gap quickly, turning some districts into extremely tight races.
Against this backdrop, voices of self-reflection are growing both inside and outside the party, warning against complacency as the election enters its final stretch. The concern is that repeated controversies — ranging from Chairman Jung Chung-rae's "oppa" remark at a campaign stop in Gupo Market in Buk-gu, Busan, to Rep. Kim Moon-soo's "civil servant flunky" remark — will accelerate the erosion of voter support. Critics argue such remarks are not mere slips of the tongue but reveal a complacent mindset detached from public sentiment. Song Young-gil, a former party chairman and candidate for Incheon Yeonsu-A, called for restraint, saying, "The leadership goes out to lift up the candidates, not to become the main character itself."
At the launch ceremony of the "Republic of Korea Normalization" election steering committee on the 10th, Chairman Jung pledged, "I will rush into the field in the lowest posture and with the hottest passion." He stressed that a landslide victory would deliver judgment on the forces behind the insurrection and restore the democracy that has been broken down.
For these words not to ring hollow, the meaning of the Himalayan range must be pondered. When the strength supporting the base weakens, even the tallest-looking mountain is bound to shake. This election is no different. An election is not only an occasion to pass judgment on the opponent, but also a moment to reflect on oneself. Examining the invisible Himalayan range that has sustained the Democratic Party — the grassroots public sentiment — may be the foremost duty of the ruling party in power.
