Democratic Party veterans Song Young-gil and Lee Kwang-jae are returning to the second-half National Assembly after winning the June 3 by-elections. The return of these heavyweight figures, who previously served as party leader and Gangwon Province governor respectively, signals direct changes to the upcoming party leadership race and parliamentary power structure. They are particularly expected to become key variables shaking the Democratic Party's generational shift and factional realignment.
◇ Six-Term Song's Return: A Variable in the Leadership Race
According to the National Election Commission on the 4th, with 24.8% of votes counted in the Incheon Yeonsu-A National Assembly by-election as of 1 a.m., candidate Song recorded a vote share of 61.47%, making his election highly likely. After his victory became likely, Song said, "I believe this local election and by-election are a midterm evaluation of President Lee Jae-myung," adding, "I thank the residents of Yeonsu-A who readily supported me even though I came here from Gyeyang-gu."
A native of Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Song is a key figure of the 86 generation activist movement, having participated in the May 18 Democratization Movement and the labor movement. After establishing his political base in Incheon through a 1999 by-election, he served as a 16th, 17th, and 18th-term lawmaker and stood at the center of national politics, serving as Incheon mayor and Democratic Party leader.
Political circles are interpreting his parliamentary return as an immediate signal of a leadership race. Song has already announced his intention to run in the August party convention. During the campaign, he continued public criticism of party leader Jung Cheong-rae, leading to interpretations that he has effectively entered an early competition.
Both inside and outside political circles are paying attention to the possibility that Song could absorb part of the pro-Lee faction's support and form a competitive structure with leader Jung and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. Within the party, he is regarded less as the head of a specific faction than as a senior politician with independent gravitas. Accordingly, expectations are gaining ground that following his parliamentary return, he will take on a coordinating role within the party on major issues as well as in the leadership race.
Political commentator Park Sang-byung said, "Song raising voices opposing Jung Cheong-rae in the final stretch effectively suggests he is challenging for party leadership," adding, "Incheon has gained political clout by producing a president, and given Song's connections with President Lee Jae-myung, he will certainly aim for the party leadership after the local elections." He continued, "Even if he judges that public opinion toward him is unfavorable, he will at minimum show kingmaker moves, building an independent power base to install his preferred figure as party leader."
◇ Pro-Roh Heir Lee Kwang-jae: Emerging as a Card for Centrist Expansion
Lee won in Hanam-A in Gyeonggi Province, marking a brilliant comeback and rapidly emerging as the new pivot of the pro-Roh and pro-Moon camps as the "heir of Roh Moo-hyun."
A native of Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, Lee was involved in student activism while attending Yonsei University, where he formed a connection with former President Roh Moo-hyun. He subsequently grew into a key aide, serving as an assistant and as the head of the Cheong Wa Dae situation room during the Participatory Government.
Lee entered the National Assembly through the 17th general election in 2004 and won re-election, reaching his political peak when he was elected Gangwon Province governor in 2010. However, he lost the governorship the following year over an illegal political funds case, going through a long hiatus. After receiving a special pardon and reinstatement in 2019, he returned to the National Assembly in 2020, and through this by-election he successfully re-entered parliament, once again building up his political standing.
Lee is evaluated within the Democratic Party not as a typical factional politician but as a figure capable of broadening the party's reach. Analysts say he holds an unrivaled strength in expanding the centrist base thanks to his pragmatic line, which has focused on business, science and technology, and future industries, on top of his unmistakable symbolism as a pro-Roh figure. He is also seen as someone who can play a buffer role amid bipartisan cooperation. For this reason, political circles see a high possibility that Lee will take on key parliamentary positions such as standing committee chair in the second-half National Assembly to drive policy initiatives.
Within the party, he is also mentioned as the right person to deliver a message of unity, encompassing both the non-Lee Jae-myung faction and the pro-Roh and pro-Moon camps. He is one of the few figures within the pro-Roh and pro-Moon camps who possesses both symbolism and expansibility.
A Democratic Party official said, "If Song is a variable that will shake up the leadership race structure, Lee is an asset that will broaden the party's support base," adding, "The parliamentary return of these two heavyweight politicians will be more than just an addition of two seats — it will be a major signal flare that fully reshapes the ruling bloc's power landscape in the second half."
