Kim Min-seok, a candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea leadership, targeted his rival, Jung Chung-rae, on July 21, stating, "The leadership that has guided the party over the past year lacks the ability to drive new policy agendas or national tasks."

In an interview on MBC Radio today, Kim criticized Jung, who served as the immediate past party leader, saying, "Issues regarding the leadership's competence and the pursuit of personal politics were significant factors."

He continued by describing such personal politics as "Seonsahudang" (prioritizing personal interests over the party), adding, "The push for a merger was handled like a surprise bomb announcement, which ruined it. I see it as a form of exhibitionism."

Regarding Jung's comparison of the sudden merger push to the introduction of the real-name financial system, Kim criticized him, stating, "If one thinks they can handle political issues without consulting the leadership, they lack the qualifications to be a democratic leader. The very idea itself is disqualifying."

In response to Jung's counterattack that "those who talk about anti-Lee sentiment are the ones who are anti-Lee," Kim said, "Anti-Lee (anti-Lee Jae-myung) trends and factionalism objectively exist. The fact that talk of a 'Myeong-Cheong War' (a conflict between Lee Jae-myung and Jung Chung-rae) has emerged indicates that there is a problem with the leadership, and the leadership must be changed."

He emphasized the need to break a "three-way alliance," stating, "Anti-Lee sentiment, factionalism, and the Shincheonji group are forming a de facto coalition—explicitly, implicitly, or tacitly—and are becoming the core backers."

(Photo: Yonhap News)