Democratic Party Leadership Race Heats Up Early... Prime Minister Kim Heads to Daegu After Ruling Party's Defeat Today

Anti-Jeong Faction Pressures Jeong Cheongrae to Forfeit Re-Election Bid
But Myung’s Picks—Jung Wonoh, Ha Jeongwoo, and Kim Byungwook—All Defeated
Public Sentiment Shifts to Neutral

With the party convention scheduled for August, the race for the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea is heating up earlier than expected. Lawmakers opposed to Jeong Cheongrae are highlighting his responsibility for the results of the June 3rd local elections and are pressuring him daily to forgo a bid for re-election.

Prime Minister Kim Minseok and Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, greet each other after the 100th Anniversary of the June 10th Independence Movement ceremony held on the morning of June 10th at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2026.6.10 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Kim Yong, former deputy head of the Institute for Democracy and known as a close aide to President Lee Jaemyung, criticized Jeong’s recent remarks on CBS Radio on the 11th. Referring to Jeong’s statement that “the people are eternal, but administrations are short-lived,” Kim said, “It is inappropriate for the party leader, who oversaw the election and bears unlimited responsibility, to say ‘administrations are short-lived’; such words should come from the opposition, not our side. It was truly inappropriate and quite a blunder.” The previous day, when asked about the possibility of Jeong stepping down from the upcoming leadership race, Kim also remarked, “Personally, I think that’s something that can be fully considered.”

Even Park Ji-won, a five-term lawmaker known for his neutrality, called for the collective resignation of Jeong Cheongrae’s leadership team, citing the reversal in approval ratings between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party following the local elections. Park stated, “If you lose the local elections, you should turn the setback into an opportunity and stay on the right path; going down a path of infighting will only lead to ruin. The leadership, including Representative Jeong, should all resign and take responsibility by declaring they will not run again.” Within the leadership itself, Assemblywoman Lee Eonju stepped down from her position as Supreme Council member on the 8th, citing her sense of responsibility for the election results, and Supreme Council member Hwang Myeongseon publicly announced that he would not seek another term, further ramping up the pressure.

Nevertheless, Jeong is focusing on rallying his supporters by emphasizing the “success of the Lee Jaemyung administration.” The previous day, he posted on the “Ddangi Ilbo” message board, which is frequented by his supporters, saying, “I spend many nights in deep anguish and regret,” but added, “My conclusion is always a renewed commitment and determination for the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim Minseok will visit Daegu this afternoon. This was a last-minute addition to his schedule, which was not originally planned. Daegu is the region where, in the recent local elections, Democratic Party candidate Kim Boo-kyum narrowly lost the mayoral race to People Power Party candidate Choo Kyung-ho. As the debate over responsibility for the election results intensifies, Kim’s visit to Daegu—where the ruling party was defeated—is seen as an effort to highlight the leadership’s responsibility.

However, since all the key districts where the party was defeated—Jung Won-oh in Seoul, Kim Byungwook in Seongnam, and Ha Jeongwoo in the Busan Buk-gap parliamentary by-election—were so-called “Myung picks” (candidates chosen by President Lee Jaemyung), the question of responsibility is not strongly tilted toward either the pro-Myung or pro-Jeong factions.

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