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 opponents from their first official meeting, while revealing clear differences on major issues. Attention is focused on whether 'two-top politics,' in which ruling and opposition party leaders take turns confronting and negotiating to lead the political situation, will form.

According to political circles on the 24th, Leader Kim visited the National Assembly People Power Party headquarters to pay a courtesy call on Leader Jang. It came a week after Kim was elected as Democratic Party chairman at the party convention on the 17th.

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

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 suggested, "Typically we speak of 'regularization' and 'ongoing engagement,' but what if we go beyond that to 'ad-hoc meetings'?"

Leader Jang responded by saying, "I actively agree with your proposal to meet directly and have frequent conversations."

When Leader Kim mentioned photos of former Presidents Lee Syngman, 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 also responded, "The distance between the ruling and opposition party headquarters is not that far."

Compared to his predecessor, Democratic Party Leader Jung Chung-rae, who did not have an initial meeting with the People Power Party, Leader Kim has begun restoring dialogue with the ruling party immediately after taking office.

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

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

However, their positions on current issues were clear.

Leader Jang brought up the case during the Roh Moo-hyun administration regarding the controversy surrounding Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's recent nomination of Supreme Court justices.

Leader Jang said, "In 2003, when Chief Justice Choi Jong-young recommended Supreme Court justice 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 from the perspective of protecting judicial independence and the rule of law.

Leader Kim countered, "With 21 years having passed, it is not a matter of one side's decision but rather all levels, including the entire procedure, must be normalized."

Leader Jang immediately replied, "Let's not place too much weight on procedural issues," and raised the issue of public trust in future Supreme Court justice appointments and trials.

From their first meeting, while acknowledging each other, the two leaders exchanged immediate rebuttals on issues surrounding the judiciary.

On livelihood and economic issues, they found common ground.

When Leader Jang emphasized the need for control over national finances regarding the government's future response fund and proposed using about 50% of excess tax revenue for the middle class, ordinary citizens, and youth, Leader Kim answered, "I find many aspects that are totally agreeable."

On real estate policy, they left room for dialogue.

While Leader Jang pointed out inconsistency in government policy, he welcomed Leader Kim's suggested revisions to the government's tax reform plan.

Leader Kim said, "We will make efforts as a basic principle to respect the market as much as possible while supplementing market failures," and proposed creating a framework for discussing real estate issues together with both ruling and opposition parties and the people.

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

There have been cases in the past where ruling and opposition leaders directly negotiated on major issues. In 2015, then Saenuri Party Leader Kim Moo-sung and then New Politics Alliance for Democracy Leader Moon Jae-in held representative meetings attended by floor leaders of both parties to jointly respond to the MERS crisis.

However, this meeting between Leaders Kim Min-seok and Jang Dong-hyuk differs in that they agreed from the outset to 'ad-hoc' dialogue between leaders, going beyond sitting down due to a specific issue. If the two leaders actually take the lead in negotiation and confrontation on major issues, there is potential for development into a new political axis centered on the ruling and opposition party leaders.

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

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

Leader Jang can also enhance his presence as a ruling party opposition leader by directly negotiating major state affairs with the ruling party leader rather than merely criticizing the government and ruling party.

In particular, Leader Kim's evaluation of Leader Jang as "an essential leader in Korean politics" from their first meeting serves to acknowledge Leader Jang as a negotiator for the ruling party opposition while also positioning himself as a ruling party negotiator sitting across from him.

Ultimately, the key question is whether "ad-hoc meetings" will translate into actual ongoing negotiation relations rather than remaining a mere slogan. If the two leaders repeatedly meet directly, clash, and produce results on issues where agreement is possible each time an issue arises, assessments suggest that 'two-top politics' could establish itself as one political configuration.

One political circle official stated, "A political partner is not someone who thinks the same but rather a counterpart with different interests who can negotiate when necessary," and added, "If the two leaders, who have acknowledged each other as negotiation partners, maintain a relationship where they fight clearly on issues they should fight over and produce results on issues they can agree on, there is a possibility that the ruling and opposition political structure will be reorganized into a 'two-top system' centered on Leaders Kim Min-seok and Jang Dong-hyuk."