Sim Sang-jeung, long-time labor activist, braces for toughest-ever presidential bid

Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, the presidential candidate of the progressive minor opposition Justice Party, speaks during a television debate at a KBS studio in Seoul, Sept. 30. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun

This article is the sixth in a series on the major presidential contenders' leadership styles, campaign promises, strengths and weaknesses, as well as career histories ― ED.

By Kang Seung-woo

Rep. Sim Sang-jeung of the progressive minor opposition Justice Party is preparing for her fourth presidential campaign in the upcoming election slated for March 9.

However, for the 62-year-old, four-term lawmaker, once a household name of the progressive side, this latest presidential run is likely to be her toughest-ever as she appears less competitive than she used to be, in terms of both her presence within the party and awareness of her among the public.

She may once again face the pressure to drop out of the race and instead show her support for ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Lee Jae-myung for the liberal side's victory, if the election shapes up to be a two-way race between the DPK and the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

A labor activist who entered politics

Beginning in her college days, Sim spent nearly 25 years as a labor activist. As a college student, she also took a job at the Guro Industrial Complex, formed labor unions, and was one of the leaders in the labor movement at a national level, which led to the creation of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

She was also an ardent activist in the women's rights movement, serving as the inaugural head of Seoul National University's female students' council.

Sim began her political career in 2004 when she was elected as a proportional representative of the now-defunct Democratic Labor Party (DLP).

In particular, she made a name for herself within the progressive camp for her scathing criticism of alleged irregularities committed by Samsung as well as the controversial acquisition of the Korea Exchange Bank by U.S. private equity firm Lone Star.

Justice Party lawmaker Sim Sang-jeung holds a one-person protest at the National Assembly in this Sept. 7, 2020 photo, to urge fellow lawmakers to pass a bill to establish heavier penalties for those responsible for serious industrial accidents. Yonhap

In 2007, Sim launched her first presidential bid, but lost in the party's primary. After the presidential election, she sought to rebuild the party as the leader of its emergency committee. When her proposals for reform were rejected, she left the DLP and launched the New Progressive Party (NPP) the following year.

As talks for a grand progressive alliance gained momentum, she again left the NPP in 2011 and founded the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) with the DLP and the Participation Party.

In the general election in 2012, she was elected on the UPP's ticket to represent a district in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, which was seen as a daunting task for a minor progressive party at the time.

However, shortly after her election, Sim quit the party following the scandal surrounding irregularities in the UPP's proportional representative selection. She then helped to create the Progressive Justice Party (PJP), under which she ran in the 2012 presidential election again. But she quit midway to support Moon Jae-in, who was at that time the candidate of the main opposition Democratic United Party. Her party was later renamed, the Justice Party.

Since 2012, Sim has served three consecutive terms as a lawmaker and submitted dozens of bills related to labor issues, establishing herself as the leading politician of the progressive side.

In addition, she gained 6.17 percent of the vote in the last presidential election in 2017, the most for a progressive candidate.

Rep. Sim Sang-jeung of the Justice Party holds a one-person protest against the Justice Ministry's decision to parole Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, in front of the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 9. Korea Times file

Diminished influence

Despite her past reputation, her presence in this year's race is more muted than in the last race, and appears to be on the wane.

During the Justice Party's primary, Sim, despite being the odds-on favorite, failed to win a majority in the first vote, though she managed to defeat former party leader Lee Jeong-mi in a run-off with 51.12 percent.

The current political landscape is not favorable to her and her party. Until the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye for massive corruption in 2017, her party had played a role in turning the DPK onto progressive issues. But the ruling party is now dealing with many of these issues to an extent on its own, leaving less room for her party.

For example, DPK candidate Lee Jae-myung is an advocate for a universal basic income, under which he pledges to give up to 1 million won ($849) to each citizen and an additional 1 million won to every young adult per year, if elected. Lee also floated the idea of a four-day workweek system, which Sim has come out with as her first campaign promise, though she holds that her pledge includes no reduction in worker wages.

Considering this situation, Sim will have to differentiate herself further from the DPK candidate to appeal to voters through other progressive issues.

The presidential race is highly expected to be a two-way competition between the DPK and the PPP, and if the lead-up to it becomes a cut-throat race, there will likely be growing calls from the liberal side for her to quit and form an alliance with the DPK's Lee Jae-myung.

So far, in response to Lee hinting at the possibility of alliance, Sim has firmly rejected such a move, saying that he should explore ways to win the election for himself.