"Shincheonji Suspicions Must Be Addressed" vs. "Political Maneuvers Never Succeed"

[Anchor]

As the national convention approaches, divisions within the Democratic Party are deepening. The issue of alleged group enrollment by Shincheonji has emerged as a new variable, heating up the debate. Candidate Kim Min-seok went on the offensive, stating that "the suspicions have become a matter of public domain," while Candidate Chung Chung-rae hit back, saying, "There is no precedent for success through political maneuvering."

Reporter Ha Jeongyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party leadership candidate Kim Min-seok continued his offensive today (the 25th), maintaining that his raising of suspicions regarding Shincheonji's intervention in the party convention was done out of concern for the party's future.

[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leadership Candidate]: "I believe this has now entered the public sphere. It needs to be handled within the public domain, within the party's scope...."]

In response, the pro-Chung faction also stepped up its counterattack.

Supreme Council candidate Choi Min-hee pressured Kim by pointing out that "around the time the suspicions were raised, media reports emerged that a joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters had detected signs of Shincheonji members joining the Democratic Party," and demanded that Kim answer whether he had prior knowledge of the investigation.

Leadership candidate Song Young-gil joined in criticizing Candidate Chung Chung-rae, claiming that Chung gave an ambiguous response to writer Rhyu Si-min's criticism of President Lee Jae-myung.

[Song Young-gil / Democratic Party Leadership Candidate]: "When only Candidate Chung Chung-rae says, 'No comment. It's silence,' what is that supposed to mean? Does it mean he 'implicitly agrees'...?"]

While demanding a thorough investigation and disclosure of the Shincheonji suspicions, Candidate Chung targeted Kim by stating, "There has never been a successful case built on negativity and political conspiracy theories," and brought up the card of merging with the Rebuilding Korea Party.

[Chung Chung-rae / Democratic Party Leadership Candidate]: "In the June 3 local elections, we won in Ulsan where we formed an alliance, but lost in Pyeongtaek where we divided. We must integrate with the Rebuilding Korea Party as soon as possible."

On the other hand, Candidate Kim stated that he would consider a merger if 80 percent of party members approved and the party name remained the Democratic Party, adding his stance to attract competent talent regardless of conservative or progressive reform.

Lawyer Shin Jang-shik, who was elected as the new leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party today, stated that while the door is open for integration with the Democratic Party, he rejects a hostile takeover-style merger.

(Video reporting: Kim Yong-woo | Video editing: Nam Il, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.