Lee Jae-myung, a candidate in the Democratic Party of Korea presidential primary, has been embroiled in internal discord within his think tank, known as 'Growth and Integration,' which has led to rumors of its disbandment on the 24th. Some committees within the organization issued a statement unilaterally announcing their dissolution, prompting co-chairs Yoo Jong-il and Heo Min to refute this by stating, 'This is not true.' Internal claims have diverged regarding the organization's dissolution just eight days after its launch with a large-scale inaugural ceremony that brought in experts from various fields.
Lee Hyun-woong, chairperson of Growth and Integration, issued a press release that day, stating, 'Concerns were raised that being referred to as a think tank for a specific candidate and discussions about certain individuals being named for positions in the next government could lead to confusion regarding pre-election activities and the Democratic Party's campaign activities.' He continued, 'The decision to dissolve was made unanimously by all members present at the planning and operations committee on the 23rd.'
The chairperson stated, 'Growth and Integration has been active since January of this year, gathering scholars and experts,' adding, 'More than 600 researchers from academia, government, research institutions, corporations, and civic organizations came together to prepare over 500 policies.'
However, co-chairs Yoo Jong-il and Heo Min noted that 'they were not aware of the press release regarding the dissolution,' mentioning, 'Given the possibility that delivering policy proposals to a specific camp could raise issues of election law violations, we are exploring ways to deliver them to each political party.'
They stated, 'We are discussing which method is the most efficient for restructuring,' noting that 'there were also opinions suggesting that we should pursue a constructive dissolution, but no final resolution has been made, and we are trying to understand the motives and intentions behind the issuance of the press release against the will of the two co-chairs.' Lee Byung-sik, spokesperson for Growth and Integration, also remarked, 'The press release mentioning dissolution directly contradicts the positions of co-chairs Yoo Jong-il and Heo Min.'
Earlier, Growth and Integration held its inaugural ceremony at the National Assembly Library on the 16th. The event attracted hundreds, including members of the party leadership, current lawmakers, professors, and former officials. In fact, some chairpersons of the committees were unable to enter the venue or found no seats and stood at the back.
Growth and Integration is an organization divided into 34 committees, comprising over 500 experts aimed at developing policies. However, as people flocked to the place branded as 'Lee Jae-myung's think tank,' concerns emerged that it could evolve into a political organization. Especially with co-chair Yoo Jong-il, a former director of the Korea Development Institute International Policy Graduate School, and some committee chairpersons being mentioned in the context of forming the next cabinet, it has been reported that they received not only checks from within the party but also warning messages.