“Not just an ordinary conflict” An ominous ruling party··· President Lee Jae Myung signals a ‘unity’ luncheon with former President Moon - 경향신문

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사진 크게보기 Former Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae attends a North Jeolla elected-members workshop held at Aurem Campus in Jeongeup, North Jeolla, on the 25th. Yonhap News

As tensions within the ruling party intensify ahead of the Democratic Party national convention, President Lee Jae Myung and former President Moon Jae-in will meet on the 1st of next month. The move is seen as an attempt to put out fires as internal rifts and divisions among supporters deepen. On the 25th, voices within the ruling party also publicly emphasized unity.

Kang Yu-jung, the senior presidential spokesperson, said at a Cheong Wa Dae briefing that President Lee Jae Myung and former President Moon Jae-in will have a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae on the 1st of next month.

Regarding the background of the meeting, Spokesperson Kang said, “Because the Lee Jae Myung administration was launched without a transition committee amid an insurrection situation, the past year was a period devoted to restoring and normalizing the Republic of Korea,” and added, “We made multiple efforts to arrange a meeting with former President Moon, but coordinating the two schedules posed many difficulties, so it has come together now.”

Kang said, “It is expected they will exchange candid views on the full range of state affairs and the international situation.”

This is the first meeting between the current and former presidents since President Lee Jae Myung took office. As concerns have arisen that, ahead of the Democratic Party national convention on August 17, party members are splitting into pro-Lee Jae Myung and pro-Jeong Cheong-rae camps and the conflict is intensifying, the move is being read as a gesture toward unity.

Some interpret it as a response to speculation about an alliance between the pro-Jeong and proMoon Jae-in camps, after former Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae was seen visiting and meeting former President Moon immediately after resigning as party leader the previous day. Rep. Yoon Kun-young, who served as director of the National Situation Room under the Moon Jae-in administration, said in an interview on KBS Radio <Jeonggyeok Sisa> that, regarding candidates for the convention seeking a courtesy call on former President Moon, “Former President Moon said, ‘Hey, let us meet after the convention’,” adding, “It is intended to dispel needless misunderstandings.”

President Lee Jae Myung and former President Moon have shown gestures of unity whenever the Democratic Party has faced a risk of division. On February 4, 2024, when Lee Jae Myung was the Democratic Party leader, as nomination disputes between the pro-Lee Jae Myung and proMoon Jae-in camps grew ahead of the 22nd general election, he met former President Moon in Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang. Lee Jae Myung also visited Pyeongsan Village on January 30, 2025, a time when non-Lee Jae Myung presidential contenders, including former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Kyung-soo, were making remarks targeting the one-pole system centered on Lee Jae Myung.

Earlier among Democratic Party supporters, derogatory nicknames such as ‘Munjo-teollaeyu’ and ‘Hangang-saettong-dwaejugil’ spread, grouping together certain ruling-camp figures to mock them in a way meant to signal support for former party leader Jeong and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who are seen as potential convention contenders. ‘Munjo-teollaeyu’ refers to former President Moon, former Cho Kuk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk, media figure Kim Eo-jun, former leader Jeong, and writer Rhyu Si-min. ‘Hangang-saettong-dwaejugil’ refers to Reps. Han Jun-ho and Kang Deuk-gu, Prime Minister Kim, and commentators Lee Dong-hyung and Kim Yong-min, as well as Reps. Lee Eon-ju and Song Young-gil.

Within the Democratic Party, voices also warned against the leadership race spilling over into splits among supporters. Han Byung-do, acting party leader and floor leader, said at a policy coordination meeting he chaired that day, “The reason we compete is not to knock each other down but to become a stronger one.”

Han added, “From Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun to Moon Jae-in and now President Lee Jae Myung, the moments when the Democratic Party was strongest were always when, having been scattered, we clasped hands again,” and, “Conversely, the moments when we collapsed were not because the other side was strong, but when the walls within us grew high.”

Former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also voiced public concern. Regarding the derogatory labels, Woo said, “The level of internal conflict is not just an ordinary conflict,” and, “Seeing the use of epithets I have never heard since joining the Peace Democratic Party, I felt that this division must be overcome.” He added, “Overcoming young people’s sense of deprivation and social polarization is the most important task for the party,” and, “It should be the top priority in this convention as well, and it is very wrong that we are failing to do so.”

Three-term lawmaker Kim Young-ho, who declared his bid for the Supreme Council that day, said, “Public sentiment is a race against time, yet inside the party we are falling into endless conflicts and confrontations, oblivious to the axe handle rotting away,” and, “Under the Democratic Party flag, everyone must take the path of unity, becoming one like a melting pot.”

Inside the party, there were also calls that, for the sake of restoring not only support for the ruling party but also approval of state affairs, the convention should center on livelihood issues. A first-term lawmaker from the Seoul metropolitan area said, “As our internal strife becomes visible, it undoubtedly adds to public fatigue,” and, “The more we put forward only issues such as prosecutorial reform that can stress clear lines to hardline supporters, the more the party will have less room to maneuver, and I worry whether we will be seen as a party that can be entrusted with the future.”

Some predict the internal conflict will not be easily quelled. A two-term lawmaker said, “We should strike a gentemen's agreement not to campaign in ways that wound one another before the convention, but it will not happen,” and, “The president's approval rating will fall further, and it will become a vicious cycle.”