Amid political fallout within the ruling bloc over the results of the June 3 local elections, it has been confirmed that Democratic Party of Korea leader Cheong Wa-dae and other party leaders did not attend the send-off event for President Lee Jae-myung's European tour. The episode has drawn multiple interpretations within the ruling bloc, occurring against a political backdrop in which a "party leadership responsibility" debate has emerged over the election results, including the loss in the Seoul mayoral race, and behind-the-scenes maneuvering is underway to seize the initiative in the next leadership race.
President Lee departed for Europe Monday through Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit. While it is customary for ruling party leaders to attend the president's send-off events, the Democratic Party leadership, including party leader Jung Chung-rae and floor leader Han Byung-do, did not appear that day.
In a phone call with The Seoul Economic Daily, Democratic Party chief spokesperson Kang Joon-hyun said, "With the situation in disarray after the local elections, including the election commission's ballot shortage incident, the Blue House said there was no need to come out." He added, "There is no political background to this." Jung had no official schedule at that time and is said to have attended to separate personal matters. Floor leader Han presided over the party's floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly at the same time.
After President Lee's departure, the Blue House explained to the press that "we minimized the send-off personnel, including Blue House and cabinet figures, with domestic circumstances in mind, such as the prolonged Middle East war and the response to the election commission's poor management."
Despite explanations from the Blue House and the ruling party cautioning against overinterpretation, various interpretations emerged in political circles over the background. Although the Blue House said it had advised against attendance, it is unusual for Jung not to attend a send-off event since President Lee took office. This is all the more so given that a responsibility debate over the party leadership has arisen over the election results.
Within the ruling bloc, some interpreted the move as President Lee issuing a warning to Jung and the current leadership ahead of the next party convention to elect a new leader. The interpretation is that President Lee is distancing himself from Jung to lend support to Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who has formalized his challenge for the next party leadership. Indeed, unlike the absent party leadership, Prime Minister Kim attended the send-off event, shook hands with President Lee, and waved at the departing plane.
At a press conference marking his first year in office Sunday, President Lee expressed dissatisfaction over the local election results, saying, "An incomprehensible situation has unfolded," and "If we lost places we should have won, where we had to win, then at the very least it is not a success." He then candidly revealed his displeasure, saying, "I couldn't keep a neutral expression." This was interpreted as an indirect criticism of the party leadership having described this election as a "victory."
With the already delicate relationship between the party and the Blue House now compounded by the fallout over the "send-off absence," a phase of conflict between the pro-Lee Jae-myung and pro-Jung Chung-rae factions is expected to unfold. Pro-Lee Democratic Party lawmaker Lim Mi-ae on that day referenced the local and by-election results on her Facebook page, criticizing, "The party played no role as even its supporters splintered into factions. It was incompetent."
