Political Circles Agree on Need for Dual Party Leadership System
Politicians from both ruling and opposition parties, including Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, discussed new growth strategies for the Korean economy, covering fields such as AI, resolving political feuds, housing welfare, and the local economy. The forum was held to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of News PIM's founding and also announced the results of an in-depth survey on perceptions of political reform, conducted in joint planning with the Korean Political Science Association.
The survey was conducted over one month, from February 25 to March 25, targeting 50 incumbent lawmakers and 100 political scientists.
Survey results showed that 60% of incumbent lawmakers and 49% of political scientists identified a 'dual leadership system where the party leader and floor leader share authority' as the most desirable party leadership system. 70% of incumbent lawmakers and 76% of political scientists responded that institutional change is necessary for the current party leadership system.
Regarding factors hindering intra-party democracy, 61.9% of incumbent lawmakers and 81% of political scientists pointed to 'centralized operation of the candidate nomination process.' In relation to nomination methods, incumbent lawmakers most preferred 'fully public primaries' (40%), while political scientists responded more evenly with 'party member-centered bottom-up nominations' (35%), 'fully public primaries' (31%), and 'establishment of an independent nomination committee' (27%).
Yoon Jong-bin, chairman of the Korean Political Science Association and lead researcher of the survey, stated, "Political scientists suggest that securing transparency and credibility in the nomination process must be prioritized, regardless of the nomination method." Chairman Yoon explained, "This appears to reflect the lawmakers' recognition of the need to separate party operations and floor operations, clarifying their respective roles and responsibilities. Lawmakers believe that by having the party leader focus on the overall vision and organizational management of the party, and the floor leader focus on negotiations and legislation in the National Assembly, responsibility and efficiency can be enhanced."