Side-by-Side at Party Event, Subtle Tension Brews Between Jung Chung-rae and Kim Min-seok

[Anchor]

A subtle war of nerves is unfolding within the Democratic Party ahead of the August 17 election for the next party leader. Jung Chung-rae, the current party leader, and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok appeared side-by-side at a party event and exchanged pointed remarks.

Reporter Ha Jung-yeon has the story.

[Reporter]

The Democratic Party held a workshop for local government heads elected in the June 3 local elections at the National Assembly this afternoon (June 21).

Party leader Jung Chung-rae, whose weekend visit to the Honam region has fueled speculation that he has made up his mind to seek a consecutive term as leader, took the podium first.

While praising President Lee Jae-myung and emphasizing the spirit of a "one-team" approach between the party, government, and the Blue House, he offered his own assessment, citing the party's first-ever victory in the Donghae mayoral election in Gangwon Province.

[Jung Chung-rae / Democratic Party Leader: While some of you may have been elected based on individual merit, I believe your victory was possible because the party, which is like the Himalayan mountain range, embraced you.]

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who took the microphone shortly after, threw a pitch that appeared to target Leader Jung by stating that the party must become a "winning Democratic Party," and offered a markedly different assessment of the local election results.

[Kim Min-seok / Prime Minister: If the President is shaken, what can we accomplish? While we achieved good results, it is difficult to declare it a perfect victory...]

Meanwhile, Representative Song Young-gil, another potential contender for party leadership, directly criticized Leader Jung during a broadcast program.

[Song Young-gil / Democratic Party Representative (kbc 'News Maker'): Is the leader of the ruling party trying to confront the President? I am very worried because things are going too far off track.]

Former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik posted a sharp rebuke on social media, asking, "What will be left for the party after holding a national convention that mocks opponents and fosters division?" and announced that he would not run for party leader.

The Democratic Party is set to form a national convention preparation committee on June 26. It is observed that Leader Jung will likely resign around June 24, before the committee is formed, to officially announce his bid for a consecutive term.

Prime Minister Kim is also expected to return to Yeouido once the parliamentary confirmation hearing for Prime Minister-designate Han Seong-sook concludes on June 26 and the subsequent confirmation process is completed.

(Reported by Oh Young-chun | Video by Park Sun-soo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.