ED Overdue political reform

Ruling party should do more to reinvent itself

The head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has announced a package of reform measures in what appears to be a desperate effort to help its presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung bounce back amid stagnating public support in the run-up to the March 9 presidential election.

At a press conference Tuesday, DPK Chairman Song Young-gil said his party will not field candidates in by-elections for three districts in Seoul, Anseong in Gyeonggi Province and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province to be held on the same day as the presidential election. Song also said he will not seek to run for reelection as a lawmaker in the 2024 National Assembly elections. He said the DPK will seek to introduce a new rule that would limit the number of terms its lawmakers can serve for the same constituency to three, pledging to nominate over 30 percent of candidates for the June 1 local elections from among younger generations.

Even before Song's announcement, voices of reform had been gaining traction in the ruling party. On Sunday, Rep. Kim Jong-min, a two-term lawmaker, emphasized the need for older politicians like himself to retire to make way for younger figures to refresh the party's campaign. A day later, seven key aides of Lee Jae-myung promised not to take any key posts in the government if Lee is elected president, saying, “The new administration will have to look for fresh talent to spur innovation.”

These calls for self-reflection within the ruling party deserve credit, given that the public can feel ― albeit partly ― the party's desire to reinvent itself. To be frank, however, doubts remain over whether the DPK is sincere this time. Every time the party was in trouble in the past, it promised to change itself, but to no avail. Nevertheless, we sincerely hope that Song's commitment to reform, coupled with soul-searching by some lawmakers, will serve as an occasion for the party to turn over a new leaf.