Kim Min-seok must rein in DP’s hard-liners

Newly elected Democratic Party (DP) leader Kim Min-seok pledged to change the party immediately after winning its leadership election, saying he would “evolve the DP’s language, policies, attitudes and culture.”

He identified his goals as politics focused on livelihoods and living costs, an inclusive politics that broadens the party’s appeal and competent politics centered on people’s everyday needs.

Given the ruling party’s record, however, it remains unclear whether such change will materialize. Armed with an overwhelming parliamentary majority, the DP has shown little interest in bipartisan cooperation, instead pushing through legislation and policies it favors. As seen in its efforts to overhaul the judicial system, it has frequently disregarded opposition criticism, public concerns and even moderate, reasonable voices within its own ranks.

The public’s judgment is reflected in President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating, which has recently fallen to its lowest level since he took office.

If Kim wants to change the ruling camp, he must first change a party culture that allows hard-liners to dictate its course.

The complete abolition of prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority, driven by hard-liners during prosecutorial reform, is already causing serious confusion on the ground. When police investigations are inadequate or opaque, there is no longer a judicial mechanism to supplement them, raising concerns about delayed case processing and difficulties in providing relief to victims of injustice.

Kim can demonstrate that his promise of change is genuine by taking substantive action, including revising the law again to introduce safeguards.

The government’s proposed overhaul of real estate taxation is also drawing opposition over potential side effects. During the party convention, Kim acknowledged the need to address concerns that restrictions on owners of a single home who do not reside in it could adversely affect the jeonse (lump-sum deposit) and monthly rental markets.

Yet Choi Min-hee, a senior DP Supreme Council member aligned with former party leader Jung Chung-rae, has already called the proposal a worthy “Lee Jae Myung livelihood reform” and demanded its swift passage without changes.

Ignoring the potential damage to the market and the distress of the middle class while emphasizing ideological legitimacy is precisely the kind of politics the DP needs to abandon. Kim should firmly restrain such impulses and remove harmful provisions.

To regain public support, the ruling party should also stop pursuing legislation designed to neutralize opposition checks, including tighter requirements for filibusters.

If Kim ultimately follows hard-line lawmakers and militant party members in pursuing measures that run counter to public opinion, his pledge to transform the DP will amount to little more than empty words.