{"id":2201289,"date":"2023-06-07T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T23:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201289"},"modified":"2023-06-06T17:26:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T08:26:45","slug":"democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic Party hit with fresh turmoil as activist declines appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lee Rae-kyung, a veteran political activist selected by Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung to helm the party\u2019s innovation committee, <\/span>declined<\/span><\/a> the role within nine hours of his appointment due to what he described as \u201cpolitical conflict\u201d between Korea\u2019s two main parties, likening the criticism against his appointment to a \u201cwitch hunt.\u201d Lee faced significant <\/span>backlash<\/span><\/a> for controversial remarks, such as <\/span>suggesting<\/span><\/a> that the ROKS Cheonan naval ship self-detonated instead of being sunk by a North Korean torpedo, <\/span>insinuating<\/span><\/a> that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not a war criminal and <\/span>claiming<\/span><\/a> that the COVID-19 virus originated in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s decision not to head the DP\u2019s innovation committee comes amid the party\u2019s grappling with numerous scandals involving its members and leaders. DP leader Lee Jae-myung faces <\/span>bribery charges<\/span><\/a> related to his term as mayor of Seongnam City. His predecessor, Song Young-gil, was <\/span>accused<\/span><\/a> of bribing party members and lawmakers during his 2021 leadership bid. Additionally, two lawmakers \u2014 Youn Kwan-suk and Lee Sung-man \u2014 left the DP following allegations of distributing those bribes. Another lawmaker, Kim Nam-kuk, is under investigation for questionable cryptocurrency transactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear readers,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

At KOREA PRO, we are committed to providing engaging and informative content tailored to our discerning audience. Recognizing the significance of your perspectives in enriching our offerings, we cordially extend an invitation for your participation in a brief <\/span><\/i>5-minute survey<\/span><\/i><\/a>. This opportunity allows us to capture your invaluable feedback and insights, which we greatly appreciate and consider integral to our ongoing commitment to service excellence.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n

Democratic Party (DP) leader, Lee Jae-myung, has asserted that he was <\/span>unaware<\/span><\/a> of Lee Rae-kyung\u2019s controversial past statements. However, the latter\u2019s decision to recuse himself from the candidacy for the party\u2019s innovation committee role is expected to further challenge Lee Jae-myung\u2019s standing within the party. Lee Jae-myung narrowly <\/span>survived<\/span><\/a> a parliamentary vote on his arrest in February, winning by a single vote margin, which exposed that the DP is anything but united behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Article 44 of the <\/span>ROK Constitution<\/span><\/a> states that incumbent lawmakers cannot be arrested or detained without the National Assembly\u2019s consent while the legislature is in session.<\/span><\/p>\n

The DP, currently dealing with a series of political scandals, finds itself in an uneasy situation. The initial decision to nominate Lee Rae-kyung to the party\u2019s innovation committee, followed by his withdrawal, will likely fuel concerns about the DP leadership\u2019s capability to lead the party to electoral victory in next year\u2019s parliamentary elections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lee Rae-kyung, a veteran political activist selected by Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung to helm the party\u2019s innovation committee, declined the role within nine hours of his appointment due to what he described as \u201cpolitical conflict\u201d between Korea\u2019s two main parties, likening the criticism against his appointment to a \u201cwitch hunt.\u201d Lee faced significant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2201290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[27],"yoast_head":"\nDemocratic Party hit with fresh turmoil as activist declines appointment - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Democratic Party hit with fresh turmoil as activist declines appointment - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lee Rae-kyung, a veteran political activist selected by Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung to helm the party\u2019s innovation committee, declined the role within nine hours of his appointment due to what he described as \u201cpolitical conflict\u201d between Korea\u2019s two main parties, likening the criticism against his appointment to a \u201cwitch hunt.\u201d Lee faced significant […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-06T23:00:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-06T08:26:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/06\/Untitled-design-5.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1870\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"johnleenknews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"johnleenknews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d\"},\"headline\":\"Democratic Party hit with fresh turmoil as activist declines appointment\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-06T23:00:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-06T08:26:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/\"},\"wordCount\":427,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/06\/Untitled-design-5.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Domestic Politics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Briefings\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/democratic-party-hit-with-fresh-turmoil-as-activist-declines-appointment\/\",\"name\":\"Democratic Party hit with fresh turmoil as activist declines appointment - 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