Jung Chung-rae to Attend 'Welcome Home' Ceremony Tomorrow Amid 'Derogatory Nickname' Controversy

[Anchor]

When President Lee Jae-myung departed for his European tour on the 9th, Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae was notably absent from the send-off ceremony, sparking rumors of him being "passed over." The Blue House announced today that leader Jung will attend the welcoming ceremony for the President's return tomorrow (the 18th). While attention is focused on whether the so-called "Myung-Chung conflict" will be resolved, derogatory terms have begun to emerge between the supporters of both sides.

Reporter Park Jae-yeon has the story.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae did not attend the send-off ceremony for President Lee Jae-myung’s European tour on the 9th.

As Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, considered a rival for the next party leadership, was in attendance, controversy grew within the Democratic Party over whether leader Jung was being "passed over" by the pro-Lee faction.

The Blue House announced today that "government officials, including the Prime Minister, and the Democratic Party leadership, including the party leader and floor leader, are scheduled to attend President Lee’s welcoming ceremony tomorrow."

Presiding over the Supreme Council meeting this morning, leader Jung stated that factional labels such as "pro-Jung Chung-rae" and "pro-Kim Min-seok" are "malicious attempts by the media to divide the party," and urged unity centered around President Lee.

[Jung Chung-rae/Democratic Party Leader: Everyone in the Democratic Party is 'pro-Lee' in hoping for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration. Let us unite firmly around President Lee Jae-myung and move forward.]

He also argued that the "one-member, one-vote system for all party members" he pushed for would lead to the disappearance of factions within the party.

However, the pro-Lee faction continues to raise the issue of "leader Jung's responsibility for the local elections," and there are ongoing demands to address the regional and age-based imbalances of party members regarding the "one-member, one-vote system."

Attacks using "derogatory nicknames" derived from the names of figures on the opposing side have even appeared among their respective supporter bases.

[Kim Geun-sik/Former Vision Strategy Chief of the People Power Party (Yesterday, Dong-A Ilbo YouTube): The pro-Moon and pro-Roh side, including Jung Chung-rae, calls the pro-Lee side 'Hangang Bird Droppings.' On the other side, the term 'Moon-Jo-Tol-Rae-Yu' for the pro-Jung side is well-known.]

As Representative Lee Ki-heon, who served as a secretary at the Blue House during the Moon Jae-in administration, requested today that leader Jung not run for the party leadership election due to concerns over internal conflict, the controversy surrounding leader Jung's potential bid for a consecutive term is growing. Observations suggest that leader Jung may step down from his post around the 24th and announce whether he will seek re-election.

(Video reporting: Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video editing: Wi Won-yang)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.