Ruling Party, Engrossed in a Race for Power, Has Slipped into a Lame-Duck Phase on Its Own
Criticism is growing that the ruling party, in its second year in power, has become so consumed with the race for the next presidency that it has drifted into a lame-duck phase of its own making. Broadcaster Caption News diagnosed the current state of governance with the phrase, "Livelihoods on the back burner as the ruling party fixates on a future power struggle... a lame duck in year two by its own doing." Two years into the Lee Jae-myung administration, the internal power contest within the government has surfaced first.
Power Struggle Emerges First Amid a Livelihood Vacuum
The lame-duck assessment of the ruling party stems not merely from public resentment but from concrete political developments. After the attempted abduction of an elementary school student in Seodaemun-gu, the government directed a swift investigation and countermeasures at a senior secretaries' meeting and chaired a meeting on violent crime response, taking action on public safety. Ordering faster housing supply at a construction site in the Gyeyang 3 new city in Incheon was part of the same effort. The problem is that these livelihood-focused moves are being drowned out by news of infighting within the political establishment. With jockeying for leadership of the next administration already visible at a relatively early point—the second year in office—the message reaching voters is hardening into a negative perception that livelihoods are being neglected.
This perception is amplified as local elections approach. In the Daegu mayoral race, candidate Kim Boo-kyum is playing the card of a courtesy visit to former President Park Geun-hye, while candidate Choo Kyung-ho touts a goal of 2 million tourists, as competition for local hearts and minds intensifies. Against this backdrop, power struggles in national politics could become a variable that drives loyal ruling-party voters away. With the big-three matchup in the Seoul metropolitan area now complete, the ruling party is observed to hold the lead in most regions except North Gyeongsang, but even that advantage could easily reverse if national politics fails.
Power-Related Issues Crowding Out the Livelihood Agenda
Another factor fueling the lame-duck perception is a chain of scandals around those in power. It came to light that 1.411 billion won from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism budget was spent on nine overseas cultural events attended solely by First Lady Kim Hye-kyung without the president, raising controversy over the 'private use of state funds.' Layered on top of pointed questions about the illegality of President Lee's parents' graves and two extensions of the mandate of the Justice Ministry's Committee for Respect for Human Rights of Prosecutors' investigation team, suspected of being groundwork for withdrawing indictments, criticism is gaining ground that the government is being drained by defensive issues rather than livelihoods.
Conflict between the ruling and opposition parties follows a structurally similar pattern. Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, pressured the ruling party, saying, "Rule of law, security, fiscal profligacy... dispel the national chaos." The Democratic Party, for its part, pushed back against the 'Revolutionary Park Chung-hee' forum held at the National Assembly, calling it "a dictatorship whitewash mobilizing even the military—a party of historical distortion." While both camps grapple with historical and legitimacy disputes, real-life issues—such as demands to close the gap that leaves local government workers' welfare points at just 40 percent of central government levels, raised by Representative Park Jung-hyun—have been pushed down the agenda.
An Opportunity to Recover Support and the Task Ahead
The relaunch of the Cheong Wa Dae special inspector system, ending a decade-long gap with lawyer Choi Kil-soo's nomination, carries significance for the ruling party as a mechanism of self-scrutiny. That is why some say the real test is whether oversight of presidential power proves effective. Still, a special inspector alone will hardly make up for declining public trust. President Lee has signaled his direction on labor by appointing a former worker as labor minister—"a worker as labor minister"—and repeatedly stressed his commitment to expanding direct communication with the public, but that message is failing to get through amid the power-related controversies.
The outlook ultimately hinges on tangible livelihood results. The Honam semiconductor cluster the government is pushing for is so large that the National Assembly Research Service estimates it would require the electricity output of five to six nuclear reactors, yet actual operation and visible benefits lie considerably far off. What can fill that gap are mid- to short-term livelihood tasks such as housing supply, public safety, and closing welfare gaps. Diplomatic achievements, including the summit with Germany, also have limits in shifting domestic public sentiment.
For a power struggle to break out first in a government's second year is tantamount to the ruling party itself signaling the shape of its final stretch in office. Before the public's lame-duck verdict is reflected in local election results, seizing a turnaround card through livelihood achievements appears to be the biggest challenge for the political landscape next year.
