Factional Conflict Escalates Ahead of Party Convention; Calls for "Vigilance" Following Approval Rating Reversal

[Anchor]

Factional conflict is intensifying ahead of the Democratic Party's national convention in August. With recent opinion polls showing the People Power Party’s approval rating surpassing that of the Democratic Party, the internal friction—which ignited following debates over responsibility for the local elections—appears to be growing even more severe.

Reporter Ha Jeong-yeon has the story.

[Reporter]

Regarding President Lee Jae-myung's social media message about the "responsibility of the ruling party," there have been conflicting interpretations: the pro-Lee faction claimed it was aimed at Representative Jung Chung-rae, while the pro-Jung faction argued it was a distortion of the President's intentions.

At the first Democratic Party leadership meeting held since then, pro-Lee Supreme Council member Kang Deuk-gu opened fire by citing the opinion poll results.

[Kang Deuk-gu/Supreme Council Member, Democratic Party: We have allowed the People Power Party to overtake us beyond the margin of error. We must all be vigilant in the face of these polling results.]

According to a survey conducted by Realmeter on June 11 and 12, targeting 1,002 people nationwide, the Democratic Party recorded an approval rating of 38%, while the People Power Party recorded 44.3%.

The gap in approval ratings is outside the margin of error, and by mentioning the "reversal in approval ratings" in front of Representative Jung, he effectively raised the issue of accountability.

Pro-Jung Supreme Council members defended Representative Jung.

[Lee Sung-yoon/Supreme Council Member, Democratic Party: Reform toward prosecution reform, one-person-one-vote, and a party where party members hold sovereignty must never stop or retreat.]

[Park Gyu-hwan/Supreme Council Member, Democratic Party: The party must focus on party affairs, and the cabinet must focus on the work of the cabinet.]

It appeared as if a "proxy war" was unfolding ahead of the August 17 national convention. Representative Jung did not mention President Lee's "responsibility of the ruling party" message at all, instead offering only praise.

[Jung Chung-rae/Representative, Democratic Party: President Lee Jae-myung is establishing himself as a world-class, global leader.]

Representative Kim Min-seok, who has officially announced his bid for the party leadership, appeared on a radio program. When asked to evaluate Representative Jung's performance as party leader, he avoided a direct answer, stating, "Since the results were unsatisfactory and difficult to call a victory—to the point where everyone needs to reflect—I believe the evaluation will take place within that context of reflection."

Reported by Ha Jeong-yeon | Video by Oh Young-chun and Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Park Sun-soo | Graphics by Han Heung-soo, Seo Seung-hyun, and Kim Ye-ji
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.