'Nomination Innovation, Party Reform, and Constitutional Amendment'... Minseok Kim Launches Political Reform Agenda

Beyond Nomination—Retraining Public Officials

Party Reform: Introducing AI and Deliberative Democracy

Establishing a Constitutional Amendment Roadmap—Aiming for a Public Referendum in the First Half of Next Year

On August 31, the Democratic Party of Korea launched an internal innovation body that will spearhead candidate nomination reform, party reform, and constitutional amendment initiatives. Under the leadership of party chief Minseok Kim, the party is setting the stage for political reform.

Minseok Kim, along with key figures from the Democratic Party’s Candidate Innovation Promotion Team, Party Reform Promotion Team, and Constitutional Amendment Promotion Team, held a joint inaugural ceremony at the National Assembly on this day.

Beyond Candidate Selection: Re-education of Elected Officials

Speaking about the Candidate Innovation Promotion Team, Party Leader Minseok Kim stated, “Within a democratic party, candidate selection must prioritize both competition and thorough vetting. Assemblyman Sin Jeonghun has consistently emphasized that the true function of a political party’s nomination process arises not only from merging verification with competition, but also from ongoing re-education for elected officials after their candidacy is confirmed and continuous policy evaluation.” He continued, “I have tasked the Promotion Team to thoroughly identify various nomination-related issues nationwide and, building on the established history of our party’s systematic selection process, to undertake work to further supplement it by the end of the year.”

Democratic Party leader Minseok Kim is speaking at the first meeting of three divisions— the Candidate Innovation Team, the Party Reform Promotion Team, and the Constitutional Amendment Promotion Team—of the Democratic Party’s special innovation task force 'Mega10' held at the National Assembly on the 31st. Photo by Yonhap News.

Sin Jeonghun, who heads the Candidate Innovation Promotion Team, remarked, “I believe candidate nomination is the clearest process for demonstrating a party’s identity and the level of its democracy. Only a fair process yields results people can accept, and only a transparent process gives both party members and the public confidence in the outcomes.” Regarding this, he outlined the following objectives: a fair and transparent nomination system based on principles rather than individuals; a nomination process where good candidates are properly evaluated and given a fair opportunity; principled prevention of collective primary intervention that distorts the will of party members; nominations that are transparently disclosed and verifiable; and enabling elected officials to consistently uphold the values and policies of the Democratic Party throughout their term.

Party Reform: Integrating AI and Introducing Deliberative Democracy

Regarding the Party Reform Promotion Team, Minseok Kim said, “Out of our party’s leadership, I have entrusted Danjang (Team Leader) Kim Kyungsoo, whom I found to have the most profound insight into this broad issue of party reform. The Promotion Team will address the institutionalization of deliberative democracy practiced by more than a million party members—making ours the world’s leading example—technically supporting the process with tools like AI, maximizing the integration of AI into all party operations, and transforming our internal culture to facilitate dignified debate and manage political conflict productively.”

Team Leader Kim Kyungsoo stated, “There are two main tasks facing the Democratic Party: healing and unifying after the conflicts and wounds exposed during the recent party convention, and leading innovation to align our party—and South Korean politics—with the spirit of the times and public expectations.” He added, “Without innovation, there can be no unity. Unity and innovation are two wheels of a cart and two sides of the same coin. The Party Reform Promotion Team, launched today, will strive to be the starting point for moving beyond conflict toward a politics of innovation and integration.”

Establishing a Constitutional Amendment Roadmap and Referendum in the First Half Next Year

Regarding efforts to amend the constitution, Party Leader Minseok Kim said, “Rather than a temporary, political, or strategic approach, we have appointed Assemblyman Kim Taenyoun as Team Leader with the expectation that the team will define and clarify the need, legitimacy, and direction for constitutional amendment from both the people's and the era’s perspectives, addressing these issues as they arise. I hope the team will effectively organize both nationwide and party member participation.”

Team Leader Kim Taenyoun commented, “The 1987 Constitution was a monumental achievement that restored the direct presidential election system and clearly affirmed that the people are the sovereign. Based on this, we must now move to a more mature next stage.” He continued, “Amending the constitution is not only about changing the structure of power; it means strengthening citizens’ rights, decentralizing power from the center to the regions, establishing the principles and standards needed in the era of AI, and—together with the people—defining the extent of the state’s responsibility for people’s lives and the kind of community South Korea aims to be.”

He also outlined the roadmap for the constitutional amendment. Team Leader Kim Taenyoun stated, “This time, we will set a clear roadmap: first, reaching agreement among all parties on the timing of both the amendment and the referendum. We aim to hold a national referendum on constitutional amendment at least one year before the next general election, ideally in the first half of the year.” He added, “We will ensure meaningful public participation and open debate so that this amendment truly realizes the principle of national sovereignty.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.