From the first and second figures in government to administrative and legislative partners... Election of new Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok and party-government relations

From the first and second figures in government to administrative and legislative partners... Expected to resolve tensions

The key to securing a ‘trend rebound’… Plenty of sensitive issues such as real estate, stocks, constitutional amendments, etc.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Go Dong-wook = At the National Convention of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 17th, candidate Kim Min-seok, who was the first prime minister of the Lee Jae-myung administration, was elected as the new party leader, drawing attention to the newly established relationship between the party and the government.

It is true that it was difficult to say that the relationship between the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party over the past year was smooth compared to the relationship between the party and the government during the first year of the previous governments' administration.

Former leader Chung Cheong-rae also emphasized 'one team at the party office', but in reality, observations were raised that abnormal currents were flowing around various issues such as detailed legislation for prosecution reform, recommendations for special prosecutors, and the issue of merger between the Democratic Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party.

Fundamentally, some point out that the difference in political philosophy between President Lee, who advocates 'centrist pragmatism', and former Representative Chung, who is a 'hard-line reformist', was behind the frequent clashes.

This difference in line was also influenced by factional conflicts within the party, such as responsibility for the loss of key regions such as the mayor of Seoul in the June 3 local elections and the 'controversy over the enemy' that arose during the national convention, leading to a decline in the approval ratings of President Lee and the ruling party.

There is a prediction in the political world that with Representative Kim ascending to the leadership of the ruling party, there is a greater possibility that such tensions will be resolved.

As he served as the first Prime Minister of the Lee Jae-myung administration and worked together as the 'first and second figures in the administration', it is expected that he will be able to increase the density of partnerships between party offices based on a deep understanding of President Lee's national administration philosophy.

Accordingly, there is also an expectation within the ruling party that President Lee's approval rating, which has been hitting record lows day after day, will rebound with the launch of Representative Kim's regime.

An official from the ruling party said, "As the public's fatigue regarding the conflict within the ruling party has been reflected, once the national convention is over, the approval rating for state administration will also find an opportunity to rise again."

Representative Kim also predicted during the national convention, “Once the convention ends, a rebound will begin, and after three months, the party approval rating will recover by 10 percentage points (p), and then a double system will be established in which the approval rating for the government will also recover.”

However, the nature of the long-term relationship between the party and the government is expected to change depending on whether a 'trend reversal' can be created beyond a flashy rebound based on the convention effect.

If a stable approval rating is not secured, the centrifugal force between party offices will inevitably become stronger as major political schedules, such as the 2028 general election, get closer.

To achieve this, the first task is expected to be for the party and office to minimize misalignment and demonstrate competence in urgent policy issues such as real estate policy and stock market stability.

Another key factor is how quietly sensitive political issues that could lead to a departure from the moderates, such as victim protection measures after the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigative rights, and the controversy surrounding the cancellation of indictments and constitutional amendments, can be handled without noise.