Jeong Cheongrae Makes Another Slip: Says "President Lee Myung-bak" Instead of Lee Jaemyung

Slip of the Tongue During Honam Semiconductor Pledge
Confuses Names of Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Lee Jaemyung
Younggil Song Criticizes: "Misunderstanding of the Administration"

Jeong Cheongrae, candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea’s leadership, made a slip of the tongue during the Daegu-Gyeongbuk joint debate for the party convention on the 9th, accidentally swapping the names of former President Lee Myung-bak and current President Lee Jaemyung. This marks the second time he has confused the current president with the former, following a similar incident in May. The mistake has gone beyond a simple verbal error and is being used as a point of attack amid the intra-party competition, further fueling the debate.

Jeong Cheongrae, the candidate for the Democratic Party leader. Yonhap News

On this day, candidate Jeong said, “The Honam Semiconductor Cluster can do better than anyone else,” adding, “We will accelerate the approval process and improve living conditions, and Jeong Cheongrae will ensure that the Gwangju Semiconductor Cluster proceeds smoothly so that semiconductor products can be released within ‘President Lee Myung-bak’s’ term.”

Jeong reiterated his belief that the Honam Semiconductor Cluster is the best candidate for success, stressing the need for regulatory reform and improved residential conditions, and then added, “I will ensure the Gwangju Semiconductor Cluster proceeds without disruption so that semiconductor products are released within President Lee Myung-bak’s term.” In this context, he referenced the current president’s term but mistakenly used the name of a former president. Jeong continued his speech without correcting the error at that time.

Song Younggil Immediately Responds: "How Do You Understand This Administration?"

After Jeong’s remarks, the next candidate to speak, Song Younggil, pointed out, “Candidate Jeong misspoke, saying he would complete the Honam Semiconductor Cluster within the Lee Myung-bak administration’s term, but he didn’t even realize his mistake and just moved on.”

Song then recalled remarks Jeong made while he was party leader, stating, “Anyone can make a slip of the tongue, but the comment ‘administrations are short, but the people are eternal’ cannot simply be dismissed as a mistake. How do you really understand the Lee Jaemyung administration?” Song also intensified his criticism by mentioning comments about a “regime change” made by Lee Sungyun, a candidate for supreme council member identified as a close ally of Jeong.

On the afternoon of the 9th, candidates for the party leader sat side by side at the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Joint Debate held at the Inter-Burgo Exco Hotel in Daegu to elect the Democratic Party of Korea's party leader and supreme council members. From the left, candidate Minseok Kim, candidate Cheongrae Jeong, and candidate Younggil Song. Photo by Yonhap News

Previous Mix-up During Local Election Campaign

This is not the first time Jeong has confused President Lee Jaemyung’s name with that of former President Lee Myung-bak. Back in May, while campaigning in Seoul’s Gangdong District to support fellow party member Kim Jongmu’s run for district mayor, Jeong also inadvertently mixed up the two names.

At that time, Jeong said, “Isn’t President Lee Jaemyung far more capable, honest, and skilled in diplomacy than Yoon Suk Yeol, Park Geun-hye, and the three former presidents combined?” The initial mention of ‘Lee Jaemyung’ was apparently intended to refer to ‘Lee Myung-bak’ but was mistakenly stated.

He also remarked, “Because of the people’s candlelight revolution, Park Geun-hye was sent to prison for state corruption, and Lee Jaemyung was imprisoned for corruption,” but quickly realized his error and corrected himself, clarifying he meant ‘Lee Myung-bak.’

Jeong Cheongrae Apologizes: "I Will Be Careful in the Future"

As the controversy grew, Jeong met with reporters after the joint debate and said, “I did not realize it at the time, but I seem to have called the president by the wrong name during my speech earlier, and I sincerely apologize to the party members for that. I will make sure not to repeat such mistakes in the future.”

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