Lee Geon-tae, a Democratic Party lawmaker aligned with President Lee Jae-myung, characterized the results of the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections as "an election of warning, not an election of victory," lending weight to calls for the party leadership to take responsibility. He argued that the cause of defeats in races such as the Seoul mayoralty and Pyeongtaek-eul in Gyeonggi Province, held amid President Lee's high approval ratings, must be found in the strategic absence of the leadership under Chung Chung-rae.
In a post on his social media account on Monday, Lee said, "This was the first election held after President Lee's inauguration, conducted amid presidential approval ratings higher than any ruling party has enjoyed in history." He added, "Nevertheless, the Democratic Party failed to produce results commensurate with the president's approval ratings."
"This confirms that while the public has expectations for the Lee Jae-myung administration, they are giving the Democratic Party a cold assessment," he said. "This election may have succeeded in rallying the Democratic Party's core support base, but it clearly revealed the limits of expanding among centrists and unaffiliated voters."
He stressed, "In close races, especially among centrist voters, clearing out the insurrection alone was not enough. They wanted solutions for the economy, people's livelihoods, and regional issues, along with stable governance. It was a warning from the public that the Democratic Party must move beyond being a 'party that judges the past' to become a 'party responsible for the future.'"
Lee directly took aim at the party leadership's election strategy. "The leadership under Chairman Chung concentrated the party's capabilities excessively on the North Jeolla governor's race, where responsibility for the nomination controversy was focused," he said. "On the other hand, assessments suggest that support was relatively lacking for major battlegrounds such as the Seoul and South Gyeongsang metropolitan mayor races, the basic municipality head races in the capital region and Chungcheong, and the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election."
Referring particularly to the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election, where candidate Kim Yong-nam, recruited by President Lee, ran, he criticized, "It was an election the Democratic Party absolutely had to hold onto, but it ultimately lost. This shows there were problems with the party's election strategy and leadership, not with the individual candidate."
He continued, "When you win an election, the credit goes to the leadership. If so, the responsibility for defeat must also be borne by the leadership."
Citing President Lee's remarks at his first-anniversary press conference, he warned, "Even after becoming the ruling party, if it remains stuck in divisive politics, broadening the Democratic Party's base is impossible." At the press conference, President Lee had said, "If you emphasize differences, everyone becomes an enemy. If you only look for people exactly like you, there's no one left but yourself." Within and outside the party, this has been interpreted as a remark aimed at Chairman Chung, who has leaned toward identity-driven politics backed by hardline supporters.
Lee said, "I believe the president's words are the most important warning to the Democratic Party right now." He added, "Attacking and excluding people who think differently from you will win neither centrists, nor unaffiliated voters, nor new supporters."
He also said, "The public conveyed the message to look beyond the support base alone, not to reject voices that are different, but to listen to more of the people's voices and embrace them more broadly." He added, "Transforming into a capable party that earns the trust of the majority of the public—that is the most important task this election has left us."
