[Anchor]
As the Democratic Party's national convention heads into its most fiercely contested regions, including Honam, Seoul, and Gyeonggi, the race is growing increasingly heated. This time, a battle has erupted over a photograph featuring President Lee Jae-myung, party leader candidate Jung Cheong-rae, and the head of an organization linked to Shincheonji.
Reporter Park Jae-yeon has the details.
[Reporter]
On July 23, a pro-Jung Cheong-rae YouTube broadcast.
A photo was revealed showing Lee Hee-ja, head of the Korean Geunwoo Association—which has faced allegations of being tied to a Shincheonji-affiliated group—posing with President Lee Jae-myung, who was the leader of the Democratic Party at the time in 2024.
Earlier, some within the party claimed that a 2019 photo of Chairperson Lee and Democratic Party leader candidate Jung Cheong-rae served as the basis for suspicions regarding Jung's ties to Shincheonji. In response, supporters used the other photo as a counterargument.
[Lee Ji-eun / Former Democratic Party Spokesperson (July 23, YouTube channel "Park Si-young TV"): If that single group photo with Chairperson Lee Hee-ja is supposed to be evidence that Jung Cheong-rae and Shincheonji are involved, then what about this photo as well...]
However, it was later revealed that candidate Jung was actually present in the original version of the photo as well.
Former Democratic Party Spokesperson Lee Ji-eun, a pro-Jung faction figure, stated, "I simply introduced a post from someone else's social media without changes, and I apologize for unintentionally causing trouble for the President," as internal party conflict intensified.
From the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, Supreme Council candidate Kim Yong launched a fierce attack, saying, "They displayed a manipulated photo on screen and smeared the President by linking him to Shincheonji, and they must bow their heads and apologize." Party leader candidate Kim Min-seok also joined the offensive.
[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader Candidate: Isn't it in line with common sense and courtesy to at least sort out matters related to the President first?]
In response, pro-Jung Supreme Council candidate Han Min-soo fired back, arguing that the crux of the issue is not whether a photo was cropped, but that candidate Kim, who raised suspicions of Shincheonji's involvement, has failed to provide any evidence.
The race for party leadership remains a tight contest between candidate Kim and candidate Jung, with the runoff votes for general party members in Honam this Saturday and in Seoul and Gyeonggi this Sunday serving as critical turning points.
In the Supreme Council race, which selects 5 out of 8 candidates, attention is focused on the battle for the 5th-place spot between pro-Lee candidate Kim Yong and pro-Jung candidate Lee Seong-yung.
(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News)
(Camera footage by Oh Young-chun and Kim Yong-woo | Video editing by Oh Young-taek | Graphics by Kim Ye-ji)
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