Representative Park Sung-joon (two-term, Seoul Jung-gu-Seongdong-gu-eul) of the Democratic Party of Korea announced his candidacy for the Supreme Council in the upcoming August 17 national convention today (July 12).

Rep. Park, who is considered close to former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok—a potential contender for the party leadership—took aim at former party leader Jung Chung-rae, who is expected to run for party chair soon. During his press conference at the National Assembly today, Park stated, "The Democratic Party does not need an attacker who only prioritizes rhetoric."

"We must complete prosecution reform before the national convention and finish the handling of the special counsel bill regarding fabricated indictments to ensure institutional reform and hold those responsible for illegal acts and fabrications accountable," Park emphasized. "We must also complete judicial reform to end the era of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, which has staged a 'judicial coup'."

He further pledged to "regain the support of the 2030 generation through action, not words," promising to introduce a youth Supreme Council member position, regularize a 2030 listening tour, and establish a 2030 policy committee.

After concluding his announcement today, Rep. Park met with reporters and directly criticized the leadership under former leader Jung, saying, "I believe the current leadership has lost its direction. Looking at the current Supreme Council system, there is no clear 제시 (presentation) of what the party should do or the direction in which the party should head."

In addition to Rep. Park, other candidates who have declared their bids for the Supreme Council include lawmakers Kim Young-ho (three-term), Park Sun-won, Seo Mi-hwa, and Lee Geon-tae (all first-term), as well as Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Institute for Democracy, Kim Hyung-nam, former secretary-general of the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, and Jung Min-cheol, vice-chair of the Policy Committee.

(Photo: Yonhap News)