Kim Min-seok Questions Jung Chung-rae's Bid for Second Term; Jung's Camp Fires Back

While President Lee Jae-myung held a luncheon meeting with former President Moon Jae-in today (July 1) to address factional conflicts within the ruling party ahead of the August 17 national convention, the war of words between Democratic Party leadership contenders shows no signs of cooling down.

The ideological confrontation between factions has escalated into a debate over political legitimacy, with candidates now openly questioning their rivals' qualifications to lead the party.

The offensive was launched by former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who returned to Yeouido today following his resignation from the premiership.

In an interview with OhmyNews released today, Kim stated, "It is difficult to find a reason why former leader Jung Chung-rae needs to serve a second term in the way he has done so far," launching an active attack.

He particularly criticized Jung's push for a merger with the Innovation Party, which was aborted before the local elections.

"I thought it would be good for former Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk to join forces with the Democratic Party quickly, but I realized there was significant resistance to it," Kim said. "The process of handling the merger was flawed, which led to the failure."

Kim began his campaign in earnest today, visiting the Democratic Party's central headquarters and the National Assembly.

Former leader Jung Chung-rae, who is seeking a consecutive term after resigning from the party leadership, emphasized the values of integration and solidarity in response to the attacks.

When asked by reporters about Kim's remarks before the inauguration ceremony of Governor Lee Won-taek at the Jeonbuk Provincial Office today, Jung said, "We must achieve a grand integration that brings together the supporters of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in within the Democratic Party."

While he did not launch a direct counterattack, his comments are interpreted as an indirect criticism of Kim, who was at the center of the 2002 'post-candidacy negotiation' incident, where he advocated for a single candidacy between Roh Moo-hyun and Chung Mong-joon during the presidential election.

Pro-Jung factions immediately retorted to Kim's remarks.

Representative Choi Min-hee wrote on Facebook today, "Former Prime Minister Kim asked if Jung needs to be party leader twice," adding, "Is there really a need for someone who served as Prime Minister to be party leader?"

Following this, pro-Lee Jae-myung lawmaker Lee Kun-tae posted on Facebook, "Kim worked perfectly as a one-team partner with the President and served excellently as Prime Minister," while criticizing Jung, saying, "Former leader Jung already had his chance, but he was a 'mismatched leader.'"

In addition to the tension between leadership candidates, a verbal spat between factions also occurred during the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly today.

Supreme Council member Hwang Myung-sun, classified as pro-Lee Jae-myung, addressed the issue of prosecution reform, stating, "The government has already conveyed its position on abolishing supplementary investigation rights to the party. It is regrettable that the President's request for internal deliberation within the party was not properly carried out."

Supreme Council member Park Gyu-hwan, known to be pro-Jung, argued, "Fabricating facts and spreading false information out of greed for momentary gain does not align with the spirit of the Democratic Party."

This is interpreted as a reference to another leadership contender, Representative Song Young-gil, who recently apologized after claiming that "former leader Jung was at odds with former President Roh Moo-hyun and could not even attend his funeral."

It is reported that there are also differences in opinion among the camps of the leadership contenders regarding the schedule for the national convention's regional primary tour.

As the Democratic Party decided to hold the primaries starting in South Chungcheong, North Chungcheong, Daejeon, and Sejong on August 1, Kim's side reportedly raised issues with the fact that the primaries are starting in the Chungcheong region, which is Jung's home turf.

However, Chief Spokesperson Kang Joon-hyun met with reporters after the Supreme Council meeting and stated, "The National Convention Preparatory Committee and the Supreme Council will coordinate to come up with a reasonable plan."

Concerns are growing within the party as the race for party leadership heats up.

Representative Yoon Kun-young appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and pointed out regarding the 'legitimacy debate,' "Isn't it all futile?" adding, "We should be discussing how to transform the party into a future-oriented one and how to change the Republic of Korea."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.