‘ABC’ takes on a new meaning in South Korean politics

The "ABC theory" is fanning friction within Korea’s ruling party as it struggles to tackle division between avid supporters of President Lee Jae Myung and those whose loyalties may lie elsewhere.

The theory recently popularized by Rhyu Si-min groups Democratic Party of Korea supporters into three categories: A, B and C. Rhyu was formerly the welfare minister and a close aide to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, an icon of progressive politics.

In a media appearance in mid-March, Rhyu tried to distinguish loyalists in the Democratic Party from opportunists seeking leverage from President Lee's popularity.

"In Group A is the Democratic Party's core support base that has inherited and upheld the spirit of our party's political leaders from Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in and Lee Jae Myung," Rhyu said during his March 18 appearance on liberal-leaning YouTube podcast Maebul Show.

According to Rhyu, while group A is loyal to the party and values what it represents, the intentions of groups B and C are tainted by personal ambitions.

"(Group B) pretends to gauge (Lee's) intentions, but their real intention is to seek their own political gain." He added that supporters who stay true to the party's philosophy while simultaneously seeking opportunities are categorized under Group C.

Repercussions from the podcast appearance persisted for more than a week, although Rhyu, on Wednesday on the same show, played down speculations that his remarks were intended to highlight the party's internal strife. Instead, he framed it as a tool for analyzing politicians.

In the intervening weeks, the Democratic Party was rife with infighting, with some accusing Rhyu of trying to pit the president's supporters against the pro-Moon faction. Rhyu, due in part to his connection to Roh, is considered more aligned with the pro-Moon faction, as Moon was a close aide and ally to Roh.

"People who support President Lee do so for various reasons, and it is a tremendously good thing for us," Rep. Kim Young-jin of the Democratic Party said in a radio interview Wednesday.

"However, dividing supporters into A, B and C groups prompts them to question where they belong, which feeds internal conflict."

Democratic Party spokesperson Kim Nam-kuk echoed the stance Wednesday, saying Rhyu subtly planted seeds of division by vilifying a certain segment of Democratic Party supporters.

In a CBS radio interview, he also said Rhyu's reappearance on the same show "added fuel to the fire." Kim, a former lawmaker, is considered a politician in the pro-Lee faction.

Liberal political heavyweights also joined the infighting. Song Young-gil, a former five-term lawmaker seeking to return to politics via an upcoming by-election, said in a media appearance on March 22 that Lee lost to former President Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election because the pro-Moon faction "wanted Lee to lose the election."

Song's comment triggered backlash from pro-Moon faction lawmaker Rep. Ko Min-jung on Monday.

"Would you be a bad example for fellow politicians?" Ko said on her Facebook, pointing to Song's remark that laid blame on fellow party members for the election loss when he chaired the Democratic Party in 2022.

Additionally, a media revelation of a private text message conversation between Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Democratic Party Rep. Kim Hyun has fanned the flames. Kim, long considered a close ally to Lee, described Rhyu as "a Gangnam intellectual who enjoys fame and TV appearances." Kim apologized for the message but reportedly invoked the "ABC theory" on Tuesday to describe political division in a closed-door event.

"The 'ABC theory' is a deceptive tactic that misleads the public because it implies that we are A, and you are B," Lee Dong-hoon, senior spokesperson of the minor conservative Reform Party, said in a radio interview Thursday.

He added that those in Group A may regard themselves as good people who fight against "opportunists and bad guys."

"That's why Song Young-gil hit back at them, to be like, 'I know what you guys did in the past,'" he said, implying those who do not belong to Group A were unfairly vilified.

Seeing no signs of the discord abating after a week, Democratic Party chair Rep. Jung Chung-rae said during a party meeting Friday that the situation must be de-escalated.

"I must take serious actions against our party members' frivolous remarks or remarks that cross the line because they do no good to the upcoming election," Jung said, without elaborating on what remarks are problematic.