Uncertainty clouds Korea's politics after attack on opposition leader

Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung's seat is empty during the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Lee is hospitalized after suffering a knife attack, Tuesday. Yonhap

Korea's political landscape is shrouded in uncertainty after a shocking daytime stabbing of main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung occurred on Tuesday. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration and rival parties have since taken a moment from their usual squabbles to take stock of the current dire political situation.

President Yoon on Wednesday attended a New Year's greeting event involving key government officials, political party leaders, religious leaders and members of the general public.

Initially, the event gained plenty of attention because it was anticipated to be this year’s first encounter between Yoon and the DPK chairman, as the two have been butting heads over almost every political issue including a special counsel probe on Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee.

However, the much-heralded meeting was canceled because the chairman was stabbed in his neck during a visit to Busan a day earlier. Lee is now in an intensive care unit after undergoing two hours of surgery to repair his jugular vein.

“DPK Chairman Lee was supposed to be here with us today, but suffered a terror attack yesterday, and he is now receiving treatment,” Yoon said during the greeting event.

“Regardless of its form, terrorism is not just about harming victims or engaging in criminal activities. It is an oppression against human freedom and stands as an enemy to all of us who uphold a society that values freedom … We all need to unite in our hearts to console Chairman Lee and respond firmly with the same determination. Let us all wish for a swift recovery.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a New Year greeting event at Yeongbingwan guesthouse in Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

Yoon’s comments were interpreted as a sign of a ceasefire to the usual toing and froing between the ruling bloc and the DPK.

Following the attack, the respective leaderships of the DPK and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) asked its lawmakers to avoid political interpretations regarding the attack.

Han Dong-hoon, the PPP interim leader, who has been spouting flames against the DPK chairman, canceled his scheduled appearance at a party event in the conservative stronghold of Daegu, Tuesday.

DPK lawmakers held an emergency meeting, Wednesday, and issued a joint statement that they are “against any violence that threatens democracy.”

As the lawmakers concentrated on condemning the attack on Chairman Lee, the bill on launching a special counsel investigation into first lady Kim was also not submitted to the government.

The bill, which passed the National Assembly on Dec. 28 upon the DPK’s endorsement, is aimed at employing an independent counsel to look into allegations that the first lady was involved in the stock manipulation of a licensed BMW dealership in Korea.

Immediately after the bill’s passing, the presidential office said Yoon would veto the bill as soon as it is submitted to the government, in an apparent bid to wrap up this issue and prevent it from impacting the ruling party’s campaign in the upcoming general elections in April.

To veto this as fast as possible, the government even postponed Wednesday morning’s Cabinet meeting by four hours, but the Assembly did not send the bill to the government after Lee’s attack.

Since the presidential office has been maintaining its steadfast stance that the bill is “a bad law,” chances are high that the special counsel bill will be vetoed eventually. However, pundits say a protracted vetoing process will become disadvantageous for the ruling side, given the timeframe for the general elections and the public's sentiment toward Lee.

“For the ruling bloc, the special counsel probe issue is a problem that should be wrapped up quickly,” an official from the ruling bloc said.

“Especially after the attack on Lee, there are chances that the public may have sympathy toward the chairman, watering down criticisms which were raised about him. If the issue of first lady’s special counsel probe gets protracted, it will be a disadvantage for the ruling side.”

Exercising his veto power is a tough choice for Yoon. He has already vetoed several bills passed by the DPK, and rejecting another one will aggravate public sentiment and harm his neutrality as president.

The public's sentiments are also against the veto. According to the Dec. 28-29 Gallup Korea poll, 65 percent of respondents said Yoon should not veto the special counsel bill on the first lady. The poll surveyed 1,017 adults and was requested by the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper. Further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission’s website.

Lee Nak-yon, former Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, burns incense to pay respects to former President Kim Dae-jung's tomb in Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Tuesday. Yonhap

The ongoing internal feud between the DPK’s factions is also facing uncertainties.

Former DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon initially planned to announce his departure from the liberal party and create his own party within this week, but reportedly pushed back this to the end of this month following the attack on the chairman, in consideration of the turbulent situation of the DPK.

An official close to the former chairman told Newsis Wednesday that “creating a new party is nothing more than adding fuel to the burning house.”

DPK Rep. An Min-suk also said in an interview with broadcaster JTBC, “The former chairman won’t be able to criticize the current chairman who is receiving treatment … The former chairman’s new party bid has already lost its momentum.”

The DPK’s faction comprised of lawmakers critical of Chairman Lee, known as Principle and Common Sense, also planned to announce their “ultimatum to Lee” this week, calling him to resign, but are yet to determine their future schedule after the attack.

“It is time to have a cool-headed approach to the political situation,” DPK spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-joon said in a radio interview with broadcaster YTN. “I hope (the attack) could be a chance to think about what we need for the general election victory.”