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

Democratic Party Leader Kim Min-seok and People Power Party Leader Jang Dong-hyuk acknowledged each other as political counterparts from their first official meeting, while revealing clear differences in stance on major issues. Attention is focused on whether "two-top politics," where ruling and opposition leaders take turns driving state affairs through confrontation and negotiation, will be formed.

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

From their first meeting, Leader Kim actively praised Leader Jang. Leader Kim said he "genuinely likes" Jang and evaluated him as "an essential leader in current Korean politics." He emphasized there are "intersecting areas" where they shared views despite differing political perspectives, such as in the process of lifting martial law.

He then said, "As long as politics continues in South Korea, aren't Leader Jang and I the two people who must not let go of the thread of dialogue?" and proposed, "Typically we say 'regularization' or 'routinization,' but what if we go beyond that to 'ad-hoc dialogue'?"

Leader Jang responded, "I strongly agree with the proposal to meet directly and converse frequently."

When Leader Kim mentioned 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," Leader Jang reciprocated by saying, "The distance between the ruling and opposition party leaders' offices is not that far."

In contrast to former Democratic Party Leader Jung Cheong-rae, who did not hold a courtesy meeting with the People Power Party, Leader Kim embarked on restoring dialogue with the ruling party immediately after taking office.

Leader Jang asked Leader Kim to support the President's state administration while joining forces with the opposition party when the National Assembly checks the executive branch.

If Leader Kim acknowledged Leader Jang as the ruling party's political counterpart, Leader Jang demanded of Leader Kim the role of a ruling party leader who can maintain distance from the government.

However, differences in stance on current issues were clear.

Leader Jang brought up examples from the Roh Moo-hyun administration regarding controversy over Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's recent nomination of Supreme Court candidates.

Leader Jang said, "In 2003, when Supreme Court Chief Justice Choi Jong-young recommended Supreme Court candidates, the Blue House expressed dissatisfaction, but former President Roh Moo-hyun accepted it with the conviction that judicial independence must be protected," and demanded efforts be made from the perspective of protecting judicial independence and rule of law.

Leader Kim responded, "In a situation 21 years later, it is not one side's decision, but all levels including the entire procedures that must be normalized."

Leader Jang immediately countered, "The point is not to 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 their counterpart, the two leaders exchanged immediate rebuttals and counter-rebuttals on issues surrounding the judiciary.

They found common ground on livelihood and economic issues.

When Leader Jang emphasized the need for control over national finances regarding the government's future response fund and proposed using roughly 50% of excess tax revenue for the middle class, ordinary citizens, and youth, Leader Kim answered, "There are many parts I can fully empathize with."

On real estate policy, they left room for dialogue.

While pointing out inconsistency in government policy, Leader Jang welcomed Leader Kim's submission of revision opinions on the government's tax reform plan.

Leader Kim said, "We will make efforts with the basic principle of respecting the market as much as possible while complementing market failures," and proposed creating a framework for ruling and opposition parties and the public to discuss real estate issues together.

They clashed on judicial and political issues while confirming room for negotiation on livelihood and economic issues.

Cases of ruling and opposition leaders negotiating directly on major issues have existed in the past. In 2015, Saenuri Party Leader Kim Moo-sung and New Politics Democratic Union Leader Moon Jae-in held representatives' meetings with both parties' floor leaders participating to jointly respond to the MERS outbreak.

However, the meeting between Leaders Kim Min-seok and Jang Dong-hyuk differs in that they agreed from the start to "make ad-hoc dialogue" between leaders go beyond being prompted by specific issues. If the two leaders actually lead direct negotiation and confrontation on major issues, there is potential for it to develop into a new political axis centered on ruling and opposition party leaders.

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

For Leader Kim, Leader Jang is a counterpart who can demonstrate politics of external expansion and integration. By engaging in dialogue with the opposition while maintaining the Democratic Party's stance on major political issues, he can simultaneously gain expansiveness toward the centrist electorate and clarity within the party.

Leader Jang can also increase his presence as a first opposition party leader not only by criticizing the government and ruling party, but by directly negotiating major state affairs with the ruling party leader.

In particular, Leader Kim's evaluation of Leader Jang as "an essential leader in Korean politics" from the first meeting has the effect of acknowledging Jang as a negotiator of the first opposition party while positioning himself as a negotiator of the ruling party sitting across from him.

Ultimately, the key question is whether "ad-hoc dialogue" translates into actual ongoing negotiation relationships rather than mere rhetoric. If the two leaders repeatedly meet directly, clash, and produce results on issues where agreement is possible whenever issues arise, "two-top politics" could be established as a political structure, according to assessments.

One political insider said, "A political partner is not someone who thinks alike, but rather someone who represents different interests yet can negotiate when necessary," and added, "If the two leaders, who have recognized each other as negotiation partners, clearly fight on issues where they should fight and produce results on issues where agreement is possible, there is a possibility that the ruling and opposition political structure could be reorganized into a 'two-top system' centered on Leaders Kim Min-seok and Jang Dong-hyuk."