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

Democratic Party Leader Kim Min-seok and People Power Party Leader Jang Dong-hyeok acknowledged each other as political opponents at their first official meeting, while revealing clear differences on major issues. Attention is being paid to whether 'two-top politics,' where ruling and opposition party leaders take turns driving political matters through confrontation and negotiation, will be formed.

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

Leader Kim actively praised Leader Jang from their first meeting. Kim said he "actually likes" Jang and evaluated him as "an essential leader in current Korean politics." He emphasized there are 'cross-cutting areas' where they share views, such as in the process of lifting martial law, even though they differ in political perspectives.

He continued, "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?" adding, "Typically people speak of 'regularity' and 'constant meetings,' but what if we go beyond that to make it 'on-demand'?"

Leader Jang responded in kind, saying, "I enthusiastically agree with the proposal to meet directly and have frequent conversations."

When Leader Kim mentioned photographs of former Presidents Lee Seung-man, Park Chung-hee, and Kim Young-sam hanging in the People Power Party leader's office, saying "(the distance between the two parties) is not completely far," Leader Jang countered, "The distance between the ruling and opposition party leaders' offices is not that far."

Compared to predecessor Democratic Party Leader Jung Cheong-rae, who did not have an initial courtesy visit with the People Power Party, Leader Kim has engaged in dialogue restoration 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 when the National Assembly checks the executive branch.

If Leader Kim acknowledged Leader Jang as a political counterpart of the ruling party, then Leader Jang demanded of Leader Kim the role of a ruling party leader capable of maintaining a certain distance from the government.

However, their positions on current issues were clearly different.

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

Leader Jang stated, "In 2003, when Supreme Court 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 the belief that judicial independence must be upheld," asking Leader Kim to fulfill his role from the perspective of judicial independence and rule of law.

Leader Kim countered, "In a situation 21 years later, not just one side's decision but all levels including the entire procedure must be normalized."

Leader Jang immediately responded, "Let's not put too much weight on procedural issues," and raised the question 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 Leader Jang proposed using approximately 50 percent of surplus tax revenue for the middle class, ordinary citizens, and youth, emphasizing the need for control over national finances regarding the government's future response fund, Leader Kim responded, "There are many aspects I completely agree with."

On real estate policy, they left room for dialogue.

While pointing out inconsistency in government policy, Leader Jang expressed welcoming sentiments toward Leader Kim's revised opinions on the government's tax reform plan.

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

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

There have been past instances of ruling and opposition party leaders directly negotiating on major issues. In 2015, Saenuri Party Leader Kim Moo-sung and New Politics Alliance for Democracy Leader Moon Jae-in held a leadership meeting with party floor leaders in attendance to jointly respond to the MERS outbreak.

However, the meeting between Leaders Kim Min-seok and Jang Dong-hyeok differs in that, beyond sitting down due to specific issues, they agreed from the outset to make inter-leader dialogue 'on-demand.' 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 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 Leader Kim, Leader Jang is a counterpart who can demonstrate politics of external expansion and integration. By dialoguing with the opposition while maintaining the Democratic Party's position on major political issues, he can simultaneously gain both expansiveness toward moderate voters and internal clarity.

Leader Jang can also enhance his presence as a ruling party opposition leader by not merely criticizing the government and ruling party but 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 their first meeting serves to acknowledge Leader Jang as a negotiator for the ruling party opposition while positioning himself as a negotiator for the ruling party facing him.

Ultimately, the key question is whether "on-demand meetings" will translate into actual sustained negotiation relations. Experts assess that if the two leaders repeatedly meet directly, clash, and produce results on negotiable matters whenever issues arise, 'two-top politics' could establish itself as a political structure.

A political circle official said, "A political partner is not someone with the same thoughts but a counterpart representing different interests who can negotiate when necessary," adding, "If the two leaders, who have acknowledged each other as negotiation counterparts, clearly fight on matters they should dispute and produce results on matters they can agree on, 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-hyeok."