Jeong Chungrae: "If Elected Party Leader, I Will Raise President Lee Jaemyung's Approval Rating by 10 Percentage Points"

"Core Democratic Party Supporters Have Lost Enthusiasm"
"Integration of Democratic Forces and Rebuilding Identity Essential"

Jeong Cheong-rae, candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea leadership, stated on August 12, "I will raise President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating by over 10 percentage points from the current level and restore it to above 60%."

Jeong Cheong-rae, candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea leadership, is answering reporters' questions after finishing a press conference at the National Assembly communication office on August 12, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

At a press conference held at the National Assembly communication office on the same day, Jeong said, "I will not stop at simply supporting President Lee, but will fully back the Lee Jae-myung administration to ensure he becomes a successful president."

Regarding the recent decline in President Lee’s approval rating, Jeong commented, "The issue is that our traditional core supporters have become disenchanted," and added, "I will rekindle the passion in the hearts of these core supporters." He also said, "If President Lee pulls the cart of history from the front, I, Jeong Cheong-rae, will push with all my strength from behind."

With regard to sensitive issues such as Korea-U.S. relations and North Korea policy, Jeong expressed the view that the government should take the lead before the party does. Meeting with reporters, he said, "It is not advisable for the party to speak first on sensitive issues like labor and diplomacy," explaining, "The government should lead and the party should act as leverage or a support in follow-up measures." In other words, instead of taking the lead, the party would support these issues through follow-up legislation and initiatives.

On the internal party controversy regarding the 'one person, one vote system,' Jeong stated, "Since President Lee has stressed popular sovereignty, it is time to usher in an era of party member sovereignty in line with the age of people’s sovereignty," adding, "The principle of one person, one vote should remain as is." He further stressed, "I will prevent any attempts to undermine the one person, one vote system."

In the economic sphere, Jeong pledged to actively support the administration's artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor policies. Citing the Gwangju semiconductor cluster, he said, "Four factories, each costing 20 trillion won, should be built quickly," emphasizing the need to enact a special semiconductor support law so that construction can begin without delay. Regarding calls by some for relaxing the 52-hour workweek, he insisted, "It must be adhered to," arguing that labor shortages should be addressed by expanding employment rather than extending working hours.

Meanwhile, regarding the controversy over 'illegal phone banking,' Jeong stated, "If it is indeed voluntary volunteer work, there must be a check on how the party member lists used for phone calls were obtained," and pointed out, "It must be clarified whether the list was self-created or received from someone else." Rather than immediately determining the illegality of the phone activity, his comments suggest that the source and use of the party member lists should be thoroughly examined.

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