Cheongrae Jeong's Vehicle Attacked... Kim Minseok Says "Anti-Democratic Act... Must Be Rooted Out"

Around 7 p.m. on the 20th, vehicle struck with feet
Kim Minseok: "Immediate investigation and prevention of recurrence needed"

It was belatedly revealed that former leader Cheongrae Jeong, who is running for re-election as the head of the Democratic Party of Korea, was attacked and that his vehicle was damaged.

On July 21, Jeong's side announced to the press, "Yesterday (the 20th), at around 7 p.m. after the joint preliminary candidate speech session for the party convention, a person used feet and tools to strike candidate Cheongrae Jeong's vehicle while he was moving, causing damage to the car." The police reportedly booked an unidentified suspect on charges including property damage and are currently tracking the individual.

Former Prime Minister Minseok Kim (left), who is running for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, and former leader Cheongrae Jeong are attending the pledge ceremony to practice a fair election held at the National Assembly on July 20, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Jeong's team expressed deep regret over the threat and violence directed at the candidate, who was inside the car at the time.

On the same day, former leader Jeong posted on Facebook, stating, "Following an assassination squad during my tenure as party leader, now my car has been attacked," and reflected, "During the 12·3 Martial Law, I almost died because of Nosangwon's notebook. It is heartbreaking and deeply saddening."

Earlier, the Democratic Party had held a joint preliminary speech session at the Yeouido central party headquarters to select candidates for party leader and supreme council members. At the event, Jeong said, "I will ensure a clean election. I will not engage in negativity. I will use the language of my comrades," adding, "If it is two against one, or three against one, I will take the hits. However, I trust that the party members will protect these wounds."

On the same day, Minseok Kim, the former prime minister and Jeong's rival for party leadership, posted on Facebook regarding the incident, saying, "I deeply regret hearing the news of the damage to candidate Cheongrae Jeong's vehicle," and added, "We must immediately get to the bottom of the matter and ensure it does not happen again."

Kim also stated, "Any kind of illegality, abusive language, slurs, insults, or violence is an anti-democratic act and only provides an excuse for division and counter-manipulation. These issues must be rooted out."

He continued, "On this occasion, all forms of abusive language, dual membership, ghost party members, and interference from irregular organizations like Shincheonji must also be eliminated," adding, "I ask all party members to step up and act as keepers of safety and security."

Meanwhile, the current Democratic Party convention is witnessing intensifying factional conflict between the pro-Myeong (Lee Jae-myung) and pro-Cheong (Cheongrae Jeong) camps. The two sides have been engaged in heated debates over issues including the introduction of a preferential voting system and the failure to implement a youth supreme council member system.

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