President Lee Says "Don't Be Swayed," but Jeong Cheongrae Again Reaches Out to Ha Jungwoo

Jeong Cheongrae: "A Talent the Party Needs Even More"

On April 9, Jeong Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, referred to Ha Jung-woo, Chief of AI Future Planning at the Presidential Office, who has been rumored to run in the by-election for the Buk-gu Gap constituency in Busan, as "a talent that the party needs all the more."

Ha Jung-woo, Chief of AI Future Planning at the Presidential Office, is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News

During a visit to Seosi Market in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Jeong met with reporters and said, "If someone has such precious value, wouldn’t the party naturally ask them to run?"

Earlier that morning, President Lee Jaemyung said at the National Economic Advisory Council meeting, referring to Chief Ha, "There is still much work to be done, so you shouldn’t just move on because you’re being approached for something else." The political community interpreted this as an indirect message urging Chief Ha not to run in the election.

Regarding President Lee’s remarks, Jeong commented, "Perhaps he was joking, telling him not to give in to the party’s requests," and added, "President Lee made those comments because Chief Ha is the right person to present hope and a vision for the future to the people."

Meanwhile, the Buk-gu Gap constituency in Busan is currently represented by Assemblyman Jeon Jae-soo, a preliminary candidate for the Busan mayoral race from the Democratic Party. If Assemblyman Jeon becomes the party’s candidate for mayor, a by-election will be held for his seat.

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