이언주의 사퇴, 민주당 '확장성 위기'를 향한 뼈아픈 경종 > K-wave Trends

The cold warning of public sentiment shown by the results of this election lies behind the resignation of Supreme Council member Lee Eon-ju. Instead of being buried in the numerical achievement of securing seats nationwide, they faced the fact that they were unable to win public support in key battlegrounds such as the metropolitan area. She honestly confessed on her social media that the party was unable to come up with an independent vision and strategy, relying only on the halo of the president's approval rating. This goes beyond a simple failure of election strategy, and means that the essential function of political parties, which should delve deep into the lives of the people and present concrete alternatives, has been paralyzed. As a result, the departure of moderates and the 2030 youth generation has become a clear indicator that the Democratic Party can no longer rest on its past success formula.

The reason why this resignation is attracting more attention is that this Supreme Council member is a non-party supporter and a person who has always had different views from the Chung Cheong-rae regime. Some within the party are interpreting this decision as indirect pressure on Representative Chung Cheong-rae and as a check on the scenario of a second term at the upcoming national convention. Despite the overall victory in the regional head election, it is natural for the entire party leadership to be held responsible for the fatal outcome of defeat in the metropolitan area. Rep. Lee Eon-ju announced her intention to return to the council and declared a white coat, but her move is a strong message to the mainstream forces within the party and is likely to be a trigger to reorganize the dynamics within the party.

The ‘reliance on the president’s approval rating’ mentioned by Supreme Council member clearly shows the limitations of scalability facing the Democratic Party. The complacent attitude of equating the government's performance with the party's performance led to the neglect of detailed policy development tailored to regional characteristics. The people do not want a political party that only meets the expectations of the government, but a political party that is capable of solving their specific life problems. The results of this election clearly showed how quickly political parties can be shunned by moderates when they do not listen to the voices of the field. Therefore, this resignation can be read as an urgent demand for the Democratic Party to differentiate its future government policy and party line and establish a more independent vision.

The future actions of Rep. Lee Eon-ju, who declared a white coat-armed army, will also be a gauge of the Democratic Party's innovation. She emphasized that she would not stop at resigning from her position in the party, but would take the lead in restoring trust in the Democratic Party by directly listening to the voices of the people on the ground. This is the will to change from a policy-making position as a member of the party leadership to a field-oriented politician and lead the improvement of the party's constitution from the bottom up. In particular, the call for innovation in the party, citing the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, is a strong order that the party should no longer be stagnant and must have a higher level of responsibility and preparation. The key question is how her actions will affect other members of the party and whether they will lead to an official reform movement in the party.

As a result, this incident presented the Democratic Party with the task of the times to break away from the short-term performanceism of 'winning or losing the election' and restore 'the essence of public sentiment.' If the Democratic Party had been immersed in the relief of winning 12 out of 16 constituencies and ignored the warning that public sentiment in Seoul and the metropolitan area was unfavorable, the Democratic Party would have faced an even greater crisis. This supreme member's decision served as an opportunity to make public the theory of responsibility, which had been taboo within the party, and this will be an essential process for the Democratic Party to embrace the moderates and the younger generation again in the future. As the vitality of a political party comes from constant self-objectification and innovation, the public is watching to see what changes the Democratic Party will seek with this resignation.