From Kim Dae-jung to Lee Jae-myung: New Book Chronicles the Governing Philosophy of Four Democratic Party Governments

A new book has been published that analyzes the governing philosophy of the four Democratic Party of Korea governments, from the Kim Dae-jung administration to the Lee Jae-myung administration, as a single continuum. On the 4th, the party's Seoul Metropolitan Chapter and Seonwoojae, a private policy research institute, held a book concert to mark the publication of "The Era of the Democratic Party: The Policy Origins of 21st-Century South Korea's Growth" at the National Assembly Museum in Yeouido, Seoul.

The event drew prominent figures from both inside and outside the party, including National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik, former Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, presidential Senior Special Aide Kim Kyung-soo, and former presidential secretaries Choi Jae-sung and Lee Chul-hee. Former presidential Chief Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Chul-hee moderated the book talk. Former President Moon Jae-in's congratulatory address was read on his behalf by Park Neung-hoo, standing representative of the Sauijae foundation. Kim Min-seok, the Democratic Party chairman, and former chairman Jung Chung-rae, both of whom had been listed as attendees, did not appear at the event.

The book identifies four guiding principles running through the four Democratic Party governments—the Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in, and Lee Jae-myung administrations: "inclusivism," "pacifism," "life and ecologism," and "balance and local autonomy"—and examines how these philosophies have been inherited, expanded, and realized as national policies. It also traces the contribution of the party's governments to South Korea's establishment of a foundation as an information and communications powerhouse and welfare state, and its acquisition of world-class cultural and technological competitiveness. The book was co-authored by Cho Dae-yeop, chairman of Seonwoojae and a professor at Korea University; Yoon Tae-beom, professor of public administration at Korea National Open University; Chu Jang-min, honorary research fellow at the Korea Environment Institute; and Park Jung-min, professor of social welfare at Korea National Open University.

In his congratulatory remarks, former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said, "Our Democratic Party is a servant that carries an eternal burden," adding that the party must move away from an attitude that emphasizes comparison with, or superiority over, the forces of industrialization.