Intensifying Democratic Party Convention: Jeong Cheong-rae Vows to Defend Against Attacks

The Democratic Party's convention is heating up as former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and lawmaker Song Young-gil continue to attack former leader Jeong Cheong-rae, who responded by stating, "I will defend myself."

During a meeting with party leader candidates at the Seoul City Council on July 21, Kim said, "I criticized anti-divisionism yesterday. To talk about anti-divisionism is to be anti-divisionist; who would see me as anti-division and a divider?"

Jeong's response came after Kim's recent comments on anti-divisionism, which Jeong addressed on Facebook, stating, "Those who mention anti-division are the ones who are divisive."

Song also emphasized, "The most important thing is the success of the Lee Jae-myung government and the restoration of power," criticizing Jeong's remarks about the government, saying, "We should not say, 'Power is short, but the people are eternal.' How precious is this government right now?"

In response, Jeong declared, "I said I would not engage in negativity, but I will defend myself." He referenced past criticisms from Kim during the local elections four years ago, stating, "Four years ago, he attacked President Lee, and now he attacks me; this seems to be a habit of his."

Additionally, former Gangjin County Council Chair Kim Bo-mi pushed back against Song's reprimands, saying, "Instead of scolding me, you should reflect on the lack of proper registration preparation." She added, "It’s absurd that someone who has been a party leader was unaware. This is why young people call the Democratic Party a '686 old-fashioned party.'"

This exchange follows a decision by the party's committee to exceptionally recognize Song's candidacy, which Kim publicly criticized as unfair. Previously, Kim had pointed out that exceptions seemed to apply only to established figures like Song.

Meanwhile, Ko Min-jeong expressed her desire for change within the Democratic Party through this convention, stating, "Someone must be able to speak of change." She emphasized, "We need to move beyond tokenism for youth and show that young people and the Democratic Party can coexist."

The Democratic Party will begin preliminary elections today to narrow down the candidates for party leader to three.

* This article has been translated by AI.