"Was It Appropriate to Discuss a Leadership Bid During the Election?"... Pro-Lee Faction Pushes Back

[Anchor]

The Democratic Party was stirred yesterday (June 13) by a social media post from President Lee Jae-myung. As interpretations emerged that the post was aimed at Democratic Party Representative Jung Chung-rae, the party immediately issued a rebuttal. At the same time, they directly criticized Prime Minister Kim Min-seok over rumors of his "leadership bid" that surfaced during the election period.

Reporter Kang Min-u has the story.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae held a press conference today.

Regarding political interpretations that President Lee Jae-myung’s social media post yesterday, which emphasized the "responsibility of the ruling party," was aimed at Representative Jung Chung-rae, Cho refuted the claims, stating, "It is a distortion of the President's intentions."

[Cho Seung-rae/Democratic Party Secretary-General: Rather than targeting a specific individual or a specific leadership, I understand it as a message about what attitude our ruling party should take toward state affairs following the local elections.]

Regarding the evaluation of the June 3 local elections, he stated that it would include government officials, along with the central party, regional chapters, and election camps.

[Cho Seung-rae/Democratic Party Secretary-General: I believe we must also evaluate how the messages and actions of government officials (during the election process) influenced public opinion.]

Secretary-General Cho specifically targeted Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, noting that situations in certain constituencies, such as Jeonbuk and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, were linked to the next party leadership race, exposing internal party divisions to the public.

[Cho Seung-rae/Democratic Party Secretary-General: The election was in full swing, and there was talk of a leadership bid and resigning as Prime Minister. What kind of impact do you think that had on the election?]

While he drew a line regarding President Lee Jae-myung, stating that the President "had no special words other than encouraging voter turnout" and was not a subject for evaluation, the pro-Lee faction reacted with backlash, with some saying it was "effectively targeting the President" or asking if he was "the secretary-general of an opposition party."

Lawmaker Lee Geon-tae demanded the resignation of Representative Jung and others, asking, "What does the Prime Minister's status and the possibility of a leadership bid have to do with the evaluation of the local elections?"

The "local election responsibility" debate is intertwining with the next leadership structure—pitting the pro-Lee faction against the pro-Jung faction—and escalating internal conflict within the ruling bloc. The Blue House remained cautious, stating it would not respond to every comment coming from the ruling party.

(Reported by Yoon Hyung | Video edited by Won Hyung-hee | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun and Lee Ye-sol)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.