At 3:40 a.m. on the 10th, the Democratic Party of Korea in Yeouido, Seoul.

The captain's speech didn't last long.

"It happened because we were lacking, and the people's judgment was always right."

247,77 votes, 0.73% of the total.

After leaving a brief greeting equivalent to an A4 sheet of paper, Democratic presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, the 'packager', returned to the autograph.

It has been 12 years since he was elected mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province in 2010.


"I'm still too young to end politics"

What kind of tomorrow will 'politician' Jae-myung Lee face?

What will his tomorrow look like?

Yes, that's right.

I don't know.

It was as if there was no way to know if the 'poor boy peasant' would become the presidential candidate of the huge ruling party in the future.



What he doesn't know is that the candidate, who is the party, is also likely to be the same.

I sent a message to Lee saying that he did a great job as a Democratic reporter, so-called 'Markman', and he replied, "Thank you. I was not enough. I'm sorry."

There were no other references to guessing the future situation, such as "I will run again" or "I will do my best."

The former candidate's aides also avoided an immediate response about their future actions.

It was an atmosphere that refrained from mentioning the timing and method of recovering in a situation where the shock of defeat did not go away.



However, political circles pay attention to Lee's earlier remarks, "I am still young to end politics."

As he is still 57 years old, the prevailing opinion is that he will engage in political activities independent of his honorary position of permanent party adviser.

In fact, although he lost, this candidate also set the record for the most votes (16,147,738 votes) among any Democratic presidential nominee in history.

The atmosphere within the party is also dominated by propaganda rather than responsibility.

What path will this candidate take?


1. Rumors of a local election challenge in June

First of all, there is a prediction that the local elections in June, which are about 80 days away, will be held.

In fact, even ahead of the last presidential election, there were rumors in the political circles that 'ex-candidate Lee could run for president in 2027 after running for re-election in the local elections in June'.

Based on this point, we are trying to observe whether former candidate Lee will try again for the position of governor of Gyeonggi.



However, aides close to the former candidate said, "It's unrealistic."

A re-elected member of the Democratic Party said,

"There is not enough time physically to prepare for the election. And I know that Kim Tae-nyeon, Jo Jung-sik, Ahn Min-seok, and Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young are already preparing (running) within the party. This is morally impossible. ."

Said.

'Then, do you have any plans to run for the party in a difficult place other than the Gyeonggi governor in the June local election?' "He also denied it.


2. Rumors to challenge the party at the National Convention in August

Another observation is the 'party challenge'.

It is said that former candidate Lee may appear at the national convention scheduled for August and aim for the next party.

Previously, after losing the first presidential election in 2012, President Moon became the party leader and took the presidency in 2017.

It is expected that former candidate Lee will also be able to strategize in the direction of further strengthening the support base within the party by walking this path.



In fact, the dominant analysis is that the reason why President Moon was able to recover politically quickly after losing the 2012 presidential election was because he had a solid support base within the party centered on the so-called 'pro-moon succession'.

One 'pro-moon' lawmaker said, "(Ex-candidate Lee) must have felt the need for a weak control within the party during the election. The use of the term 'Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party' proves that

. It is possible to quickly solve the homework of 'holding power' and at the same time minimize the period of 'career interruption'. It is a scenario worth looking at.

"



Of course, there are many mountains to climb.

If the next national convention is challenged, competition between Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Interior and Safety, who is already a key member of 'friendliness', and Hong Young-pyo and Rep. Seol Hoon may become inevitable.

During the presidential election, former candidate Lee formed a so-called 'one team' with 'pro-moon' lawmakers, but it is widely believed that they were only physically together and did not even form a complete chemical bond.


3. Rumors of running for the 2024 general election

For this reason, many lawmakers selected 'running for the general election in two years' as the most likely method for Lee's political resurgence.

It means that there is no need to rush political moves right now, and the label of a 'zero-term presidential candidate' can be removed.

Although former candidate Lee served as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi, he has also been criticized for not knowing Yeouido (parliamentary) politics as a member of the National Assembly has never experienced it.



“If you want to challenge the presidency again like President Moon, you have to go step by step,” said a multi-elected lawmaker from the Democratic Party. “It was too urgent. 80% of politics takes place in Yeouido (National Assembly). The members of the National Assembly who are there are also unhappy. To become president, you have to be able to throw a fastball even if you hit a home run. I told this directly to Candidate Lee, "he emphasized the necessity of running for the general election.



Another re-elected member said, "(Ex-candidate Lee) with a weak party base and going to the national convention in less than a few months may be at risk. You should raise your political status through 'candidate'."


“I feel like I’m going to jail for a crime that has no space.”

Possible lengthy recovery time

"Your face is pitiful."

French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas.

"The face is basically the bare spot on our body, and we're always vulnerable," he asserts.

It was January 22, last year, that Levinas said these words during the process of covering the presidential election.



That day, Candidate Lee said this in an 'instant speech' at Seokchon Lake, Songpa-gu, Seoul.

"(In the past, the regime) did not do anything wrong, even if it was harshly robbed, it did not make a sin without guilt," he said, adding, "

I think I will go to jail for a crime that is groundless this time

."

At the time, Candidate Lee explained that the remarks were made as a precaution against President-elect Yoon's 'politics of retaliation', but depending on the results of the prosecution's investigation, Lee unwittingly revealed his 'poor face', which predicted his fate. I thought in my mind that it might be.



After all, there are also many analyzes that the most important variable at this point is the 'Investigation' of the former candidate

.

Democratic Party officials also said, "The time to return to the political front may be longer than expected. It is urgent to sort out personal 'risk factors' that have arisen in the course of the election competition."

A first-year Democratic Party lawmaker from a relatively light-minded businessperson said, “

The theory of government judgment is a problem we all have to solve together.

Apart from that, he has to take responsibility for his personal problems (ex-candidate Lee) alone.

Whether you can overcome it is the key.

Personally, I find it difficult to be optimistic.

.



" There is an opinion that there is no possibility that there is no possibility of being rushed to. Also, regarding controversies such as misappropriation of corporate card by spouse, former candidate Lee promised, "I will take responsibility.

"

In addition, President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol emphasized 'severe corruption' in his remarks, and when asked 'how to investigate the Daejang-dong allegation,' he said, "It is a matter that must be addressed by the system.

"



A Democratic lawmaker who was also a former lawyer said,

"

As President-elect Yoon professed, for a while, our society as a whole will inevitably suffer from the aftermath or aftereffects of Daejang-dong.

It can be a difficult and harsh time.

Otherwise, it may even blow a bloody wind.

During this process, if anything that can be caught in a pod comes out, you may be stabbed at the vital point.


"Politics is much more complex than physics"

French painter Laurent Saint described his poem 'The Forgotten Woman' this way:

"A woman more pitiful than a dead woman is a forgotten woman."

These were also the words of a first-time lawmaker who worked hard for Lee during the presidential election process.

"The thing that politicians fear the most and want to avoid is being forgotten. At the worst, politicians would say they welcome everyone except for their obituary. He would be too.

People will be afraid of being forgotten in the political arena. To not be forgotten I will work hard

."



Even the 'genius physicist' Einstein said of

politics, "It's much more complex than physics."

I have already expressed my thoughts.

This is probably because, while physics is a realm where calculations and predictions are possible, politics is a realm based on human emotions, psychology, and judgment that is virtually impossible.

There is no reason not to disagree with this short proposition.



The future of politician Lee Jae-myung will also be in a much higher-order, complex, and subtle realm than quantum mechanics or astrophysics.

Apart from the former candidate's efforts to not be forgotten, it is very difficult to predict his tomorrow.

This becomes clearer when I think of the various 'tomorrows' that former presidents and politicians who lost in the presidential election walked right now.

Party officials and lawmakers met during the coverage process also refrained from making hasty predictions for that reason.



What will the future of 'politician' Lee Jae-myung look like?

What kind of positive or negative impact will that 'tomorrow' have on our society?

It remains a task that the politicians have to solve, and at the same time, it remains a topic that we all need to watch together.