During the Seoul mayoral election, I was quite taken aback to read the policy questionnaire response that Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party candidate, submitted to the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ). For the major reform tasks the CCEJ proposed, he simply indicated whether he agreed or disagreed, then wrote "no reason" for most of the items. Whether to avoid controversy or due to lack of preparation, it appeared he had given up on thinking through and explaining policy. The result was defeat. After the election, voices of self-reflection emerged within the campaign, saying, "We thought we would win comfortably and responded complacently."
Policy is nowhere to be seen in the Democratic Party's convention race to elect a new party leader either. It is still early, but the only voices standing out emphasize who is closest to the president and who is a stronger member of the pro-Lee faction. Looking at the profiles of those mentioned as candidates for the Supreme Council, a considerable number are lawmakers who led discussions on withdrawing the prosecution of President Lee Jae-myung. Whether moderates will again give their votes to a leadership group dominated entirely by the pro-Lee faction and fixated solely on withdrawing the prosecution is a matter that must be considered soberly. Various opinion polls following the local elections clearly capture moderate sentiment drifting away from the Democratic Party.
In that sense, this convention should become an occasion for figures equipped with policy capabilities to come to the fore. The reason for the Democratic Party's defeat in the Seoul mayoral election must be found not in judicial issues but in policy competitiveness. Only when the National Assembly, which meets residents directly in their regions, stands at the center of policy discussions can it move one step closer to public sentiment.
A healthy tension with the presidential office's policy office is also necessary. Currently, the ruling bloc's policy capacity is overly concentrated in the presidential office's policy office. Democratic Party aides who handle the practical work of legislation say in unison, "There is nothing we can do by breaking through the presidential office's opposition." The Framework Act on Digital Assets, which draws great interest from young people, is a representative example. Democratic Party lawmakers have argued for nearly a year that the bill should be passed, but its passage has been delayed day after day on the grounds that the government opposes it. If things continue this way, the party's policy presence will grow weaker and weaker.
The fortunate thing is that within the Democratic Party's 161 seats, there are many lawmakers with policy capabilities. They simply have low name recognition because their voices are not loud. This should be a convention where they come to the fore. If judicial issues once again take hold of the ruling bloc, the Democratic Party's outcome in the next general election will not be difficult to predict.
