Five candidates vying for leadership of the Democratic Party appealed for support ahead of the preliminary elections starting on July 21. The party will select three candidates to advance to the final round.
During a joint speech event held at the party's headquarters in Yeouido on July 20, Song Young-gil referenced his past experience with a corruption scandal involving the distribution of money envelopes during a previous party convention. He stated, "I left the party to avoid burdening it. I did not want to cause trouble for President Lee Jae-myung, so I refused a pardon and ultimately returned after being acquitted."
He emphasized his key campaign slogan, 'No 2030, No 2030,' asserting, "Without the support of the youth, there will be no victory in the 2030 presidential election. I promise to create new opportunities for young people."
Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok focused his attacks on rival Jung Cheong-rae, questioning, "Do you want to see headlines about the 'Myeong-Cheong War' for the next two years like we did last year?" He added, "We must end the Myeong-Cheong War. A party leader who causes conflict between the party and the government through self-serving politics cannot lead us."
Kim also criticized Jung, asking, "Why suddenly talk about the weak and mention collective violence? Are you comparing the Democratic Party to gangster politics just to run for party leader again?" He urged party members to help restore a winning Democratic Party, calling for 100% participation in voting to break the factional divide and protect the party, government, and president.
Jung Cheong-rae stated, "I will achieve internal unification and work towards alliances with broader democratic progressive forces. I will continue the reforms that are the identity of the Democratic Party. Together with party members, I will push for the complete abolition of the investigative powers of the prosecution, having already crossed the nine-tenths mark in prosecutorial reform."
He also pledged to uphold the one-person, one-vote system and protect party members' right to know by live-streaming general meetings of party members. "If we can live-stream cabinet meetings, why not ours?" he asked.
Ko Min-jung asserted, "The politics of the Democratic Party must be renewed. To achieve this, we must change first." He specifically called for an end to lineage debates and urged, "Let’s not leave President Lee to struggle alone."
Kim Bo-mi, former chair of the Gangjin County Council, warned, "The generation that still fights with Molotov cocktails and stones cannot be the owners of the Democratic Party. If the 686 generation continues to dominate, the party will fail as it moves to the 786 and 886 generations."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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