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| A A National Assembly worker clears out documents from the office of Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Thursday, a day after Lee announced he would quit his Assembly seat to focus on the presidential election. Joint Press Corps |
By Nam Hyun-woo
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is at a loss after its former leader and current presidential contender Lee Nak-yon announced that he will abandon his National Assembly seat. The primary contender said that he made the decision in order to concentrate fully on his presidential campaign and to show his strong determination to win in the presidential election by becoming the party's single candidate. However, criticism has arisen concerning the move, as it means that he will not be able to fulfill his duty as a lawmaker representing his constituency of Jongno District in Seoul. The current DPK leadership is also expressing concerns that the decision may harm the liberal party's unity by aggravating competition among the contenders.
Lee announced his resignation from his Assembly seat Wednesday after the DPK primary votes in Daejeon, Sejong and South and North Chungcheong provinces from Sept. 4 to 5 ended in a landslide victory for his rival, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung.
"In order to protect the DPK's values and those of democracy, I decided to give up my position in the National Assembly for the sake of successfully retaining power," Lee said. "I will pay off the debt I owe to democracy and to the DPK, the Republic of Korea, Honam and Seoul's Jongno District, by throwing everything I have into the party retaining power." The day after the announcement, Lee cleared his belongings out of his office at the Assembly.
The leaders of the DPK have been trying to persuade Lee to rescind his decision. During an interview with broadcaster YTN, Thursday, DPK spokesman Ko Young-jin said, "The leadership of the party, including Chairman Song Young-gil and floor leader Yun Ho-jung, is working to dissuade Lee."
"Though we can feel that Lee has a strong commitment to winning the presidency, it is important for the party to stay together in order to face the presidential election as one team," Ko said.
According to the law on procedures at the National Assembly, for a lawmaker's resignation to be accepted, the issue should be introduced by the Assembly speaker for a vote at a plenary session. Then it requires the attendance of more than half of the Assembly members, as well as the approval of more than half of the attendees.
Given the fact that the DPK holds the majority in the 300-seat Assembly, Lee's resignation requires the agreement of the majority of the DPK Assembly members.
Lee's move is already becoming a target of criticism. Choo Mi-ae, the former justice minister and a DPK presidential contender, said in a statement, "Lee made a thoughtless decision."
"It was a thoughtless and rash decision that forgot what kind of symbolism Jongno has for the DPK and our supporters," the statement read. "The choice to elect the DPK lawmaker was made by the people, and it is not a kind of bet that can be arbitrarily wagered on for the primary."
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| Democratic Party of Korea presidential contender Rep. Lee Nak-yon speaks at the opening ceremony of a local farmers' market store in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, Friday. Yonhap |
Even if the majority of the DPK does not approve of Lee's resignation, the outcome is anticipated to have an adverse impact on the party.
Last month, Rep. Yun Hee-suk of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) offered to resign from her Assembly post, after the Anti?Corruption and Civil Rights Commission connected her to allegedly irregular real estate dealings via her father's violation of the Farmland Law for speculative purposes. The DPK criticized her announcement as "a resignation show" done for political purposes, which would not be realized, saying that she was attempting to appeal to public sentiment.
The PPP is planning to table Yun's resignation at a plenary session Sept. 13, and demanded that the DPK table Lee's resignation at that session as well. The DPK, on the other hand, has said that it will not do so as, "The cases of Yun and Lee are different in their backgrounds and in each party's stance."
