"Based on Rapport with the President" vs. "The Worst Kind of Self-Serving Politics"

[Anchor]

Democratic Party leadership candidates have gathered in one place for the first time. Former Policy Committee Chair Kim Min-seok appealed for support, stating he would "support state affairs based on his rapport with the President." Former Party Leader Jung Chung-rae attacked his rivals, calling it "the worst kind of self-serving politics to help a candidate from another party."

Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

This afternoon, July 12, all five Democratic Party leadership candidates gathered at an internal party event.

Former Policy Committee Chair Kim Min-seok appealed for support, saying he would support state affairs based on the rapport he has built with President Lee Jae-myung over the past three years.

[Kim Min-seok / Former Policy Committee Chair: Once I become party leader, I will ensure that we widen the gap with the People Power Party within three months...]

Representative Song Young-gil noted that while many Democratic Party lawmakers opposed the Korea-US FTA pushed by the Roh Moo-hyun administration, he achieved results as the head of the special committee.

[Song Young-gil / Democratic Party Representative: It is not important for us to engage in alibi-like reforms that merely argue for certain critiques or ideologies. We must produce results.]

Former Party Leader Jung Chung-rae, who has not yet officially declared his candidacy, launched a counterattack against Kim and Song, who had criticized him for "engaging in self-serving politics."

[Jung Chung-rae / Former Democratic Party Leader: Leaving the party during an election, helping a candidate from another party, and running as an independent—that is the worst kind of self-serving politics.]

Representative Ko Min-jung highlighted that after declaring her candidacy, she began by visiting the Gyeongbuk region, considered a "tough district" for the Democratic Party, to meet with party members.

[Ko Min-jung / Democratic Party Representative: Those members (in tough districts), who always have to challenge knowing they will lose, let alone compete for clarity among Democrats, tell us: Please embrace more of the public.]

Kim Bo-mi, a former member of the Gangjin County Council in South Jeolla Province, directly criticized the 86 Generation (those who attended university in the 1980s and were born in the 1960s) within the Democratic Party.

[Kim Bo-mi / Former Gangjin County Council Member: In a Republic of Korea that needs to enter the top three global AI powers, shouldn't we consider whether it is truly right that those who fought with Molotov cocktails and stones are still at the center of it all?]

The Democratic Party is discussing at its Supreme Council meeting this evening whether to use a "preferential voting system" or a "runoff voting system" to confirm the winner if no candidate receives a majority of the votes.

(Video reporting: Oh Young-chun, Lee Seung-hwan | Video editing: Yoo Mi-ra)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.