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Amid the approval by the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, led by Jung Chung-rae, of a “one-person, one-vote system for delegates and members with voting rights,” reports surfaced that the party leadership contacted lawmakers who had not cast their votes and encouraged them to do so. Some members of the party expressed discontent, describing the action as “monitoring and pressure on voting that goes beyond mere encouragement.”

As reported by several Democratic Party sources on the 4th, during the Central Committee’s online vote on the party constitution revision from the 2nd to the 3rd, party leadership members contacted Central Committee members who had not yet cast their votes, asking, “Why haven’t you voted yet?” and “You need to vote.” Those who made the calls were reportedly connected to the pro-Jung Chung-rae faction. The Democratic Party’s Central Committee includes current lawmakers, regional committee chairs outside the National Assembly, local government leaders, city and provincial council speakers, and important party officials.

A Democratic Party representative reportedly shared in a group chat with other representatives on the afternoon of the 3rd, stating, “I’m too frightened to proceed. I’m shaking with fear and feeling nervous.” They went on to ask, “Why are party officials contacting me, saying, ‘You haven’t voted in the Central Committee vote yet, so please do’?” It was reported that they added, “I’m completely terrified and can’t even speak up. Is there widespread Panopticon-like monitoring? Why is there pressure?”

The legislator reportedly expressed, “This is unlike regular voting promotion,” and stated, “Every member of the Central Committee was watched and had no option but to vote. Doesn’t this create a sense of fear that they know how I voted?”

Another member of the Democratic Party stated, “It appears the leadership intentionally contacted lawmakers who had not voted to avoid a quorum problem and possible defeat because of low participation,” and noted, “They frightened them by suggesting they were aware of who had voted and who had not.”

The one-person, one-vote system is a major commitment made by leader Jung Chung-rae. The party’s constitutional amendment regarding the one-person, one-vote system gained 79.6% support from voters during the Central Committee vote in December last year, yet it was not approved because the required number of participants was not met. At that time, the participation rate was just 62.6%, with some in political circles believing that Central Committee members deliberately did not take part.

On the other hand, this vote had 515 out of 590 Central Committee members who were eligible to vote (87.3% participation), and it was approved with 312 votes in support. The constitutional amendment needed to be endorsed by a majority of eligible members (minimum 296), and it barely passed with 16 more votes than the necessary threshold. There were 203 votes in opposition.