Democratic Party vs. Innovation Party, Tensions Escalate: "Take Off the Mask and Compete" vs. "Ruling Party Opposes Greater Politics"

Tensions between the Democratic Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, who are facing off in the parliamentary by-election for Pyeongtaek-eul, Gyeonggi Province, have been escalating day after day.

On May 31, Cho Seungrae, General Election Committee Director of the Democratic Party’s campaign headquarters, held a press conference at the National Assembly and directly criticized, “The Innovation Party candidate should compete under the Innovation Party’s name. Why are they running in the election wearing the mask of the Democratic Party?” He added, “I hope they take off the mask and compete using the Innovation Party’s real name.”

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Photo by Jae-man Bae = Cho Seungrae, the General Election Committee Director of the Democratic Party, is holding a press conference related to the June 3 local elections at the National Assembly on May 28, 2026. scoop@yna.co.kr (End)

Regarding the outlook for the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election, he stated, “Korean politics does not revolve around the Innovation Party. Nor does it revolve around the Democratic Party. It revolves around the people.” He continued, “That’s why the logic of ‘integration will work well only if I get elected’ makes no sense to me.” This is interpreted as criticism of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party candidate’s pledge to pursue integration with the Democratic Party if elected.

Earlier that day, the Cho Kuk Innovation Party candidate said at a central election committee meeting, “Petty politics that make the entire democratic reform bloc smaller for one’s own interests cannot fulfill the task of the times,” and added, “I promised that after this election, I will take responsibility and pursue solidarity and integration.”

The candidate also criticized the Democratic Party, saying, “Unfortunately, yesterday the Democratic Party’s Pyeongtaek-eul candidate and parts of the leadership opposed the effort to make the democratic reform bloc larger and stronger,” and added, “This behavior is going in the complete opposite direction of what the citizens of Pyeongtaek and the people of the democratic reform bloc want.”

On the same day, Lee Haemin, General Director of the Innovation Party’s campaign committee, stated, “Will the Democratic Party leadership continue to bear the time bomb of division, the ‘Kim Yongnam risk,’ even after the election?” He argued, “If you look at all the suspicions surrounding Kim Yongnam, the Democratic Party’s Pyeongtaek-eul candidate, it leads to the conclusion that he is a bad prosecutor in every sense.” He added, “The Democratic Party, the Progressive Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Basic Income Party all stand together in remembering that the root of Yoon Suk Yeol’s rebellion regime lies in prosecutorial supremacism,” and continued, “We, who are united in the fight for prosecutorial reform, cannot let the seeds of this bad prosecution revive in the National Assembly.”

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