"Was 'Leadership Bid' During Election Appropriate?"... Pro-Lee Faction 'Backlash'

[Anchor]

The Democratic Party was stirred yesterday (June 13) by a social media post from President Lee Jae-myung. The party immediately pushed back against interpretations that the post was aimed at Democratic Party Representative Jung Chung-rae. At the same time, it directly criticized the "leadership bid" rumors surrounding Prime Minister Kim Min-seok that emerged during the election period.

Kang Min-u has the report.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae held a press conference today.

Regarding political interpretations that President Lee Jae-myung's social media post yesterday, which emphasized the "responsibility of the ruling party," was aimed at Representative Jung Chung-rae, Cho refuted them, stating, "It is a distortion of the President's intentions."

[Cho Seung-rae / Democratic Party Secretary-General: I understand it as a message about what attitude our ruling party should take toward state affairs following the local elections, rather than being directed at a specific individual or specific leadership.]

Regarding the evaluation of the June 3 local elections, he stated that it would include not only the central party, provincial and city chapters, and election camps, but also government officials.

[Cho Seung-rae / Democratic Party Secretary-General: I believe we must also evaluate how the messages and actions of government officials (during the election process) influenced public opinion.]

Secretary-General Cho specifically targeted Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, noting that situations in some constituencies, such as North Jeolla Province and Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, were linked to the next party leadership race, exposing internal rifts to the public.

[Cho Seung-rae / Democratic Party Secretary-General: The election was in full swing, and there was talk of a leadership bid and quitting as Prime Minister. What kind of impact do you think that had on the election?]

While he drew a line regarding President Lee Jae-myung, stating that "there were no special remarks other than encouraging people to vote," backlash from the pro-Lee faction followed, with comments such as "This is effectively targeting the President" or "Are you the secretary-general of an opposition party?"

Representative Lee Geon-tae asked, "What does the Prime Minister's position and the possibility of a leadership bid have to do with the evaluation of the local elections?" and demanded the resignation of Representative Jung and others.

The "local election responsibility" debate is intertwining with the next party leadership structure—pitting the pro-Lee faction against the pro-Jung faction—and escalating internal conflict within the ruling bloc. The Blue House remained cautious, stating it would not respond to every remark coming from the ruling party.

(Video reporting: Yoon Hyung, Video editing: Won Hyung-hee, Design: Seo Seung-hyun, Lee Ye-sol)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.