Jeong Cheongrae Says "Grassroots Public Sentiment Is Strong" After Leading Poll Results

"The Will of the Party Prevails Over the Lawmakers' Intent"
"Public Opinion Polls Show Momentum Shifting Toward Jeong Cheongrae"

Jeong Cheongrae, a candidate for the Democratic Party leadership, said on July 23, "If party members and lawmakers are in a showdown, who wins? The party members win." He added, "I would like lawmakers to support me as well, but the will of the party members outweighs the will of the lawmakers."

At a press conference on the same day at Gwangju City Hall, Jeonnam Gwangju Metropolitan City Council, Jeong stated, "If you look at the grassroots public sentiment, which is widely spread like bamboo roots, I still have strong support," adding, "It was the same a year ago at the party convention, and it will continue to be so going forward."

(Jeonnam Gwangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Namsu Cho answers questions from reporters after announcing the campaign pledge at the briefing room of Gwangju City Hall, Jeonnam Gwangju Metropolitan City Council on July 23, 2026.

He went on, "Are there 100, 200, or 1,000 lawmakers in Honam? In reality, not many. But there are hundreds of thousands of party members. In the era of one-person-one-vote and party member sovereignty, the will of the members is far more important than that of the lawmakers." He further added, "According to opinion polls by KSOI (Korea Society Opinion Institute) and Media Tomato, the momentum is clearly shifting towards Jeong Cheongrae."

This expression of confidence appears to have been prompted by the recent opinion polls in which Jeong was found to be leading.

According to poll results released on July 23 by Media Tomato, commissioned by News Tomato and conducted on July 20 and 21 among 1,036 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, Jeong received the highest support as the top choice for the next Democratic Party leader with 33.7%. Kim followed with 22%, Song Younggil with 11.7%, Go Minjung with 5.1%, and Kim Bomi with 3.3%.

However, in the Honam region, where the Democratic Party has many registered voting members, Kim was ahead. In Gwangju and Jeolla, Kim garnered 41.2%, Jeong 22.7%, and Song 20.8%. The survey was conducted using the ARS (RDD) wireless telephone method. The sampling error is ±3.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

In another poll released earlier by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) and conducted on July 20 and 21 among 1,000 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, Jeong also led with 25.7%, followed by Kim at 21.5% and Song at 8.3% (sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and response rate of 5.4%). For more information, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

Additionally, Jeong stated, "If I become party leader, we must win the general election in 2028. In the Honam region, I will establish a foundation for a new administration by completing reform-oriented nominations," and added, "As party leader, I will guarantee that current lawmakers with strong legislative performance are not disadvantaged and that new candidates are given fair opportunities in the primaries."

Regarding allegations of political involvement by the Shincheonji religious group raised by candidate Kim Minseok, Jeong responded, "While this is a matter of my personal honor, it also raises concerns about a possible violation of the constitutional principle of separation of church and state." He added, "This is a dangerous accusation that could frame the Democratic Party as an unconstitutional organization. Such actions are a clear violation." He continued, "I have demanded the grounds for this claim, and if it turns out to be a baseless allegation, I will use every possible means to respond with the utmost severity."

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