ED Reform of ruling party

DPK should go all-out to regain public trust

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is still reeling from the aftermath of its defeat in the March 9 presidential election. It is now run by an interim leader after Chairman Song Young-gil resigned, taking responsibility for the election loss to Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

DPK floor leader Rep. Yun Ho-jung has become the party's interim leader. He is co-heading the party's emergency committee with Park Ji-hyun, a 26-year-old activist who has worked toward eradicating online sex crimes. However, the emergency leadership's legitimacy is questioned because Yun is one of those accountable for the party's failure to win the election.

It is regrettable to see the DPK plunging into a factional strife. Some lawmakers were calling for Lee Jae-myung, the DPK's presidential candidate, to lead the emergency committee, because Lee lost the election by the narrowest margin of 0.73 percentage points in the history of the Republic of Korea. They must have forgotten opinion polls that well over a majority of people have opted for a change of government. Anyway, voters delivered a stern judgement on the Moon Jae-in administration.

Half of the committee's members are young DPK members in their 20s and 30s. The makeup of the panel appears to be aimed at injecting fresh air into the party. But the DPK has yet to go beyond its factional confrontation even after it failed to extend its rule. Most of all the party should reflect on its defeat and understand why voters turned their backs on its candidate.

A set of policy failures of the Moon government and the ruling party were cited as the reason for the election loss. Yet, the underlying causes could have been the arrogance and self-righteousness of the ruling elite. Members of the ruling camp seemed to forget that they came to power with the help of candlelight rallies that contributed to the impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye who was later convicted of corruption and abuse of power.

Right after taking office in May 2017, President Moon vowed to create a fair and just society by cleaning up old evils of the previous administration. However, the Moon government has repeated the same mistakes of the corrupt and incompetent Park administration. By appointing his close confidant Cho Kuk as justice minister, President Moon broke his promise to restore fairness and justice. He even tried to sack then Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol, who has now won the presidential election on the ticket of the PPP, because Yoon launched an investigation into corruption allegations involving Cho and his family.

Now, the Moon administration and the ruling party should humbly accept the election results. They must do their best to regain the public's trust before it hands over power to the incoming Yoon administration and the PPP on May 10. It is also necessary for the DPK to reform itself to be reborn as a new party that can serve the nation and the people better. Otherwise, the DPK is likely to suffer another setback in the upcoming June 1 local elections.