Democratic Party forms panel to evaluate June 3 local elections

By Joo So-hyun, The Herald Business

The Democratic Party of Korea said Monday it has formed an evaluation committee for the June 3 local elections and by-elections, with the panel expected to operate for approximately eight weeks. The committee plans to assess political and policy factors alike, including the messages of government officials and politicians and their impact on the vote.

The party's public affairs office announced that Lee Jae-young, director of the Democratic Research Institute, and Hong Chang-min, former chair of the Seoul Metropolitan Party's candidate recommendation committee, will serve as co-chairs. The panel's four members include Rep. Lee Yeon-hee, chair of the strategic planning committee; Rep. Mo Gyeong-jong, chair of the national youth committee; attorney Chae U-ri; and Moon So-young, former editor-in-chief of the Seoul Shinmun.

Chief spokesperson Kang Jun-hyeon told reporters after the supreme council meeting Monday that the panel's activities are expected to run eight weeks in total, though some members had suggested moving up the overall assessment. "Follow-up measures will take a bit more time, so it will likely run longer than eight weeks," he said.

The committee intends to incorporate logistical, policy and political factors in its review. "We believe we must properly evaluate what issues and messages government officials and politicians put out, and what effect they had on the election," Kang said. "The intent — as the secretary-general said the day before — is to conduct a comprehensive assessment. We are absolutely not targeting any specific individual."

Secretary-General Jo Seung-rae said at a press briefing Sunday that the review should cover not only the central party, provincial and city chapters, local constituency committees and campaign operations, but also the messages and conduct of government officials during the election process and how they shaped public opinion.

Asked about Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who has been mentioned as a contender for the party leadership, Jo said: "While the election was still under way, there were reports that he was considering stepping down as prime minister to run for party leader — how would that have affected the election? The people involved did not deny the reports, so I assume they are true. We need to evaluate whether that was appropriate."