Democratic Party leadership candidates Kim Min-seok, Jung Cheong-rae, and Song Young-gil engaged in a heated debate on August 10, ahead of the upcoming regional primary in Honam. The candidates addressed various allegations against each other, aiming to win over the party's base in the region.
During the televised debate held at KBC, the candidates presented their views and discussed issues such as the merger with the Justice Party and allegations surrounding Shincheonji. Given that the debate was hosted by a local broadcaster, each candidate also unveiled regional pledges aimed at Honam.
Jung, who took the lead in the debate, launched an attack on Kim, who had raised concerns about allegations of factionalism and ties to Shincheonji. Jung stated, "You are dragging the party convention into the mud with these allegations. Do you have any intention of apologizing?" He further criticized the practice of distributing party positions during the election period, asking Kim to explain the rationale behind it.
In response, Kim pointed out that the Shincheonji issue was being addressed by Representative Choi Min-hee, who is associated with Jung. He defended the distribution of party positions as a necessary step for unification, emphasizing the need for party member sovereignty.
Kim also reflected on the party's failure to secure victories in certain areas during the June 3 local elections, stating, "We must deeply reflect on our inability to win due to controversies over candidate nominations. As the party leader responsible for managing the elections, I ask you to explain the reasons for this failure."
Jung countered, saying, "In practice, nominations for local leaders are handled by the respective provincial party committees. Even during my tenure as party leader, I held meetings with election management committee chairs to ensure that candidates with corruption or misconduct were not nominated."
Song criticized Jung for lacking understanding of the government's key policies, stating, "During your time as party leader, you failed to persuade the opposition regarding the inclusion of the spirit of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in the constitutional preamble, which was a top priority for the Lee Jae-myung administration."
As the candidates prepare for the Honam regional primary, they also announced pledges aimed at the region. Jung proposed establishing a special committee for semiconductors, with the party leader as chair, to ensure the success of the southwestern semiconductor cluster. Kim announced plans to form a special committee to support three major mega-projects, which he would lead. Song pledged to back the special law announced by President Lee Jae-myung.
Additionally, Kim emphasized the need for a fair nomination process and a system for re-evaluating and re-verifying candidates to allow politicians from Honam to engage in diverse fields. Song pointed out that politicians from Honam often feel pressured to seek approval from influential figures for nominations, stating, "We must not fall into the narrative of Honam's inability to win. I will work to restore Honam's political standing." Jung echoed this sentiment, asserting that the public in Honam desires reform and that the candidates must act reformatively for the region.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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