President Lee Jae Myung [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung said Sunday that he regrets the sharp increase in candidate deposit requirements for the Democratic Party of Korea's leadership convention, particularly the burden placed on young hopefuls.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Lee said the deposits candidates must pay to enter the party convention had risen steeply. "It is sad that someone cannot run in an election because of money, but it also creates incentives for corruption," he wrote, adding that he was troubled to hear young candidates were struggling with fees that had multiplied several times over.

Lee recalled that one of the central pillars of the political reform championed by former President Roh Moo-hyun was the introduction of a public-funding system for elections. "When I was Democratic Party leader, I tried to introduce a public-funding system for internal party elections, but I ended up significantly reducing the deposit amount after facing pushback that a higher threshold was needed to prevent a flood of candidates," he said.

He noted that sitting Assembly members have salaries and political funds to draw on, so the burden is relatively manageable for them, but that it weighs heavily on those outside the Assembly — especially young people. "The party is not in financial difficulty, and there is a genuine need to consider the hardships facing young people and give them policy consideration. I would suggest, if possible, looking at reverting the deposit to its previous level," he said.

Lee also expressed sympathy for young candidates. As a sunbae — a senior figure who had overcome the walls of entrenched privilege through countless challenges while carrying the hardship of having no money in his youth — he said he wanted to at least help promote their fundraising accounts.

Lee acknowledged that some might view his remarks as interference in party affairs, but said current law and the party constitution allow the president, as a party member, to express opinions on internal party matters. "I hope there will be no misunderstanding," he added.

Lee's comments align with the position taken by former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, a contender for the party leadership.

Kim had raised the deposit increase on Thursday, the first day of candidate registration, and repeated his criticism Sunday. "I simply cannot understand this. Youth and disabled candidates now have to pay 30 million won ($21,700) more for the party leader race and an additional 17.5 million won more for the supreme council member race compared with when Lee Jae Myung was party leader," he said.

Under the rules for this Democratic Party convention, candidates for party leader and supreme council member must pay deposits of 100 million won and 50 million won, respectively. Non-Assembly youth candidates receive a 50 percent discount.

When Lee led the party in 2024, the deposits stood at 40 million won for the party leader race and 15 million won for the supreme council member race, with youth candidates and others also receiving a 50 percent reduction at the time.


sang@heraldcorp.com