Ruling and Opposition Parties Trade Barbs Over Each Other's Internal Turmoil
The ruling and opposition parties spent Nov. 14 trading accusations all day, each branding the other's internal turmoil a 'power struggle' driven by 'greed.' Both the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party are blaming their own house feuds on the rival camp.
The sparks flew first from within the Democratic Party. Tensions between factions erupted into open conflict after party leader Kim Min-seok ordered an ethics audit of Supreme Council member Choi Min-hee on the 12th. Choi came under fire after reportedly saying at a closed-door members' gathering last month that President Lee Jae-myung had opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The People Power Party hit back on the 14th. In a statement, chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said, "The Democratic Party's sordid scramble for power has finally spiraled past a house feud to the brink of blowing the whole house apart." He added, "Amid the battle over the truth surrounding the president — audits and disciplinary action, a leadership boycott, demands for expulsion — it is complete chaos. Beneath it all is nothing but greed for party control and the presidency." Taking aim at Kim, Park said, "A ruling party leader should be speaking frankly to the president and correcting mismanaged state affairs, but all he does is guard the president's feelings and watch factional winds." He went on: "A person with neither the ability to read public sentiment nor the leadership to resolve internal strife — what kind of leader of the ruling party is that?"
The Democratic Party pushed back. Senior deputy spokesperson Bong Geon-woo said at a written briefing on the 14th, "This is sheer audacity — blaming the speck in another's eye while ignoring the beam in one's own." He declared, "The party blinded by power struggles while its house falls apart is none other than the People Power Party." Bong cited allegations of the PPP's 'rigged disciplinary action' related to the proposed expulsion of Rep. Han Dong-hoon, as well as the party's protests outside the presidential office and the election controversy over its district chapter chair in Yongin-eul, Gyeonggi Province. He argued, "Outside, they incite claims of 'election fraud' even in the race that saw Oh Se-hoon elected, while inside their own primaries, rigged contests run rampant that strip voters of even their right to vote." He urged, "Before worrying about another party's troubles, the People Power Party should first clear up the suspicions of 'fraud' and 'rigging' within its own ranks and fulfill its responsibility as a public-minded party."
Behind both parties' attacks lies their own internal strife. The Democratic Party's factional conflict, which escalated into audits and disciplinary measures, and the People Power Party's leadership crisis, entangled in rigging allegations and primary disputes, are finding expression in rhetoric aimed at the other side.
