Democratic Party Leadership Candidates Intensify Attacks on Cheongrae Jung: "No Reform Without Victory"

Kim Minseok: "No Reform Without Victory" Criticizes

Song Younggil: "The Ruling Party Must Take Responsibility for All Outcomes"

As the race for leadership of the Democratic Party heats up ahead of the party convention, candidates for party leadership have launched attacks against former Representative Cheongrae Jung.

Former Prime Minister Kim Minseok is giving a speech at the Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting held on the 10th at the Democratic Party Jeonbuk Special Autonomous Province Office in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do. Photo by Yonhap News

Attacks Against Former Representative Cheongrae Jung Continue

On July 12, former Prime Minister Minseok Kim stated at an event hosted by the Korean Democratic Local Leaders' Council (KDLC) at the National Assembly, "Without victory, there will be no reform, no growth in local autonomy, and no success for the Lee Jaemyung administration," adding, "I will lead the general election in 2028 to victory."

Assemblyman Younggil Song said, "The ruling party must take responsibility for all outcomes," adding, "The Democratic Party I envision is not a neighborhood party that fights with the People Power Party, but a global party that defends Korea's sovereignty and protects national interests on the world stage."

Bomi Kim, a former Gangjin County assembly member, also remarked, "You said you would dissolve the People Power Party, but in the last local elections, didn't you bring it back to life when it was already as good as dead?" She criticized, "During Representative Jung's one-year tenure, the Democratic Party failed to open the door to the future and was blocked by the doors of the past, leading to regression."

In response to the concentrated attacks against him, former Representative Jung said, "Those who have declared their candidacy are all attacking and criticizing me, and it hurts a lot." However, he added, "If they hit me, I'll take it, but I will continue to defend myself," signaling a countermove. Regarding prosecution reform, former Representative Jung said, "The identity of the Democratic Party is reform," and argued, "The right answer is to completely abolish the prosecution's supplementary investigative authority, leaving nothing behind."

Assemblywoman Minjung Ko expressed caution about the complete abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigative authority and pointed out to both former Prime Minister Kim and former Representative Jung, "We need to practice responsible politics, not compete for fame or remain stuck in ideological imperatives."

Former Prime Minister Kim Minseok and former Democratic Party Chairman Jeong Cheongrae are talking while Lee Won-taek, Governor of North Jeolla Province, listens during a speech by Kim Minseok at the Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting held at the Democratic Party Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Office in Jeonju, Jeonbuk on the 10th. Photo by Yonhap News

Candidates Seek to Win Votes; Next Destination: Honam

The party leadership candidates are campaigning across the country. Assemblywoman Ko met with party members in the Yeongnam region, including Yeongju, Gumi, and Chilgok in North Gyeongsang Province, as well as Daegu, from July 10 through today. Former Prime Minister Kim held a "100 Questions 100 Answers with YouTubers" event at the parliamentary office building, engaging in a free discussion format with party members. Assemblyman Song met with residents at an event in his constituency, Yeonsu District, Incheon, and then held a town hall meeting with party members from the northern Gyeonggi region in Uijeongbu. Former Representative Jung visited his mother's birthplace in Wanju County, Jeonbuk, and later attended mass at Jinsan Cathedral in Geumsan County, Chungnam.

The competition among the candidates to win over voters in the Honam region is becoming more intense. Former Assemblyman Song plans to stay in Honam for a month, from the candidate registration deadline on July 17 until the party convention, and will carry out field-focused activities to ensure the success of the Honam Semiconductor Cluster, part of the "Three Major Mega Projects." Former Representative Jung also visited the nationwide Honam Association event held in Muju, Jeonbuk, on the afternoon of the same day to appeal to Honam voters. Likewise, Assemblywoman Ko, after her campaign in Yeongnam, has designated Honam as her second destination, entering the full-fledged competition for Honam votes.

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