“The ruling party must be a vessel” emphasizes unity
Appears to target the hardline course of Jeong Cheong-rae
Regarding the nomination of Han Seong-sook as the new prime minister
“A person who will only work”… hints at a series of reshuffles
For Kim Min-seok: “Another role is more appropriate”
Seen as giving him a boost ahead of a party leadership run

On the 8th, President Lee Jae Myung said of the reasons for defeats in key June 3 local-election battlegrounds that “golf and elections are lost when you lift your head,” adding, “the people are indeed a fearsome presence.” This is being interpreted as an indirect criticism of the Democratic Party leadership led by Jeong Cheong-rae. Regarding Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who has hinted at running for party leader at the August national convention, he said, “it is now more appropriate for him to take on another role.”

At a press conference marking the first anniversary of his inauguration, held at the State Guest House at Cheong Wa Dae that day, President Lee responded to a question asking him to assess the June 3 local elections: “Whether one won or lost depends on the standard of the person making the judgment, but if one lost where one was expected to win, or lost where one needed to win, the problem is different. At the very least, it is not a success.” This is seen as a reference to defeats in National Assembly by-elections viewed as battlegrounds, including the Seoul mayoral race and constituencies such as Pyeongtaek-eul in Gyeonggi and Buk-gap in Busan.

President Lee said, “for about two to three days after the election, I too was not in good shape. In the end, it was my shortcomings,” while adding, “the basic direction of state affairs will not change, and I will simply work even harder.”

On the causes of defeat in battleground races, he said, “when performing ancestral rites, you must put your whole heart into them; if you are thinking, ‘shall we eat and then have fun after the rites are over,’ would that do?” He continued, “there is a world of difference between emptying the mind and, with humility, giving everything, and harboring ulterior motives.” He added, “you may think you can deceive the person next to you, but you cannot deceive a vast intelligent entity with 100 million eyes and ears and 50 million mouths. It sees and hears everything and acts at a certain moment. The people are indeed a fearsome presence.”

Aiming at the ruling party leadership, he stressed unity and inclusion. President Lee said, “the opposition must be good at thrusting the spear, but the ruling party must be a vessel,” adding, “we must gather as many people as possible whose colors differ from ours, whose ideas differ from ours, and fulfill the role of inclusion and integration.” He continued, “if you insult someone who has come into the house by saying, 'our color is this to begin with' and 'you will go out and betray us at any time, will you not,' would that be right?” He added, “each time that happens, everyone peels away and only a few remain. That is not strength.” This is being interpreted as a remark aimed at Representative Jeong for his muted response to calls for Democratic Party candidate Kim Yong-nam in Pyeongtaek-eul, Gyeonggi to withdraw.

Regarding his nomination of Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, as the new prime minister, President Lee said, “there was no small amount of deliberation in the selection process, but in the end I chose a person who will only work,” adding, “the party will handle the political elements well.” He added, “I can say that there will likely be a Cabinet reshuffle of an appropriate scale at an appropriate time,” hinting at the possibility of successive reshuffles.

Regarding Prime Minister Kim, who tendered his resignation, President Lee explained, “I concluded that it is now more appropriate for him to take on another role, so his role has been changed.” He praised Kim, saying, “thanks to the truly outstanding leadership of Prime Minister Kim, the Cabinet has, without noise, run hard toward a single goal in the direction I set.” This is being interpreted as lending weight to Kim, who has hinted at running in the Democratic Party August 17 convention.

Using the local-election results as an occasion, the president indirectly pointed out the limits of the current leadership and mentioned the political role of the prime minister. If Kim is elected party leader at the convention, a system centered on President Lee and his camp could be strengthened. On the other hand, if Representative Jeong succeeds in winning another term, some predict that tension in party-Cheong Wa Dae relations could grow beyond current levels.