Kim Min-seok Elevates Jang Dong-hyeok … Will 'Two-Top Politics' Between Ruling and Opposition Parties Emerge?

At their first official meeting, Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Kim Min-seok and People Power Party Chairman Jang Dong-hyeok acknowledged each other as political counterparts while displaying clear differences on major issues. Attention is focused on whether "two-top politics," in which ruling and opposition party leaders lead national affairs through repeated confrontation and negotiation, will take shape.

According to political circles on the 24th, Chairman Kim visited Jang at the People Power Party's headquarters in the National Assembly that day. This came just one week after Kim was elected party chairman at the Democratic Party's party convention on the 17th.

From their first meeting, Chairman Kim actively praised Chairman Jang. Kim said he "genuinely likes" Jang and assessed him as "an essential leader in current Korean politics." He emphasized that while they hold different political views in some areas, there are "areas of intersection" where they shared common ground, such as in the process of lifting martial law.

He then said, "As long as politics continues in the Republic of Korea, aren't Chairman Jang and I the two people who must not let go of the thread of dialogue?" and suggested, "Usually people speak of 'regularization' or 'ongoing consultation,' but what if we go beyond that to 'frequent consultations'?"

Chairman Jang responded, "I strongly agree with your suggestion to meet directly and communicate frequently."

When Chairman Kim mentioned the photographs of former Presidents Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, and Kim Young-sam hanging in the People Power Party headquarters and said "(the distance between the two parties) is not completely far," Chairman Jang replied, "The distance between the ruling and opposition party headquarters is not that far."

In contrast to his predecessor, Democratic Party Chairman Jung Chun-rye, who did not have initial courtesy meetings with the People Power Party, Chairman Kim initiated dialogue restoration with the first opposition party shortly after taking office.

Chairman Jang asked Chairman Kim to support the president's state governance while joining the opposition party to check the administration when the National Assembly needs to restrain the executive branch.

While Chairman Kim acknowledged Chairman Jang as the first opposition party's political counterpart, Chairman Jang demanded that Chairman Kim play the role of a ruling party leader who can maintain a certain distance from the government.

However, their positions on current issues were clearly different.

Chairman Jang brought up an example from the Roh Moo-hyun administration regarding the controversy surrounding Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's recent recommendation of a Supreme Court justice candidate.

Chairman Jang said, "In 2003, when Chief Justice Choi Jong-young recommended a Supreme Court justice candidate, the Blue House expressed dissatisfaction, but former President Roh Moo-hyun accepted it based on his conviction that judicial independence must be upheld," and asked for efforts from the perspective of judicial independence and rule of law.

In response, Chairman Kim countered, "In a situation 21 years later, rather than one side's decision, all aspects including the overall procedures must be normalized."

Chairman Jang immediately replied, "We should not place too much weight on procedural issues," and raised the issue of public trust in future Supreme Court appointments and trials.

From their first meeting, while acknowledging each other, they exchanged immediate rebuttals and counter-rebuttals on issues surrounding the judiciary.

On livelihood and economic issues, they found common ground.

When Chairman Jang emphasized the need for control over national finances regarding the government's future response fund and proposed using about 50 percent of excess tax revenue for the middle class, ordinary citizens, and youth, Chairman Kim answered, "There are many aspects with which I fully agree."

On real estate policy, they left room for dialogue.

Chairman Jang pointed out inconsistencies in government policy while welcoming Chairman Kim's submission of revised opinions on the government's tax reform plan.

Chairman Kim said, "While respecting the market as much as possible and working on the basic principle of supplementing market failures," and suggested creating a framework where the ruling and opposition parties and the public discuss real estate issues together.

They confronted each other on judicial and political issues while confirming room for negotiation on livelihood and economic issues.

There were precedents in the past for ruling and opposition party leaders directly negotiating on major issues. In 2015, Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung and New Politics Alliance for Democracy Chairman Moon Jae-in held leadership meetings with both parties' floor leaders to jointly respond to the MERS crisis.

However, the meeting between Chairmen Kim Min-seok and Jang Dong-hyeok differs in that, beyond sitting down for specific issues, they agreed from the start to make dialogue between the party leaders "frequent." If the two chairs actually lead direct negotiations and confrontations on each major issue, there is potential for development into a new political axis centered on the ruling and opposition party leaders.

Political circles also raise the possibility that the two could become "competitive partners" who expand each other's political space.

For Chairman Kim, Chairman Jang is a partner who can demonstrate external expansion and inclusive politics. By conversing with the opposition while maintaining the Democratic Party's position on major political issues, he can simultaneously gain both appeal to centrists and clarity within the party.

Chairman Jang, too, can enhance his presence as first opposition party leader not merely by criticizing the government and ruling party but by directly negotiating major state governance issues with the ruling party leader.

In particular, Chairman Kim's assessment that Chairman Jang is "an essential leader in Korean politics" from the first meeting has the effect of acknowledging Jang as a negotiating partner for the first opposition party while positioning himself as the ruling party's negotiating partner facing him.

Ultimately, the key is whether "frequent consultations" leads to actual ongoing negotiation relationships rather than merely being a slogan. If scenes of the two leaders meeting directly, clashing, and producing results on issues where agreement is possible repeat each time an issue arises, assessments suggest that "two-top politics" could establish itself as a political structure.

A political circles official said, "A political partner is not someone with the same views but someone who represents different interests while being able to negotiate when necessary," and added, "If the two chairs, who have acknowledged each other as negotiating partners, clearly fight over issues where they should fight and produce results on issues where they can agree, there is a possibility that the ruling and opposition political structure could be reorganized into a 'two-top system' centered on Chairmen Kim Min-seok and Jang Dong-hyeok."

전시언 기자 yourside@news-s.kr