Pro-Jung, pro-Lee factions clash in earnest ahead of Aug. 17 convention; Song Young-gil says 'no need to poke each other in the eyes'; PPP tensions surface as Woo Jae-jun and Jo Gwang-han trade barbs; all eyes on 'party kingmaker' Jeong Jeom-sik as he gathers lawmakers' views
[The Herald Business = Kim Hae-sol and Yoon Chae-young] With both parties turning their attention to the next leadership race following the June 3 local elections, factional infighting targeting the current leaderships has begun in earnest.
Within the Democratic Party, the divide between factions loyal to President Lee Jae Myung and those aligned with party leader Jung Chung-rae has sharpened ahead of the Aug. 17 national convention.
Kim Yong, a former vice president of the Democratic Research Institute and one of President Lee's closest allies, said in a CBS Radio interview Thursday that Jung's recent remark at a supreme council meeting — "administrations are short-lived" — had drawn widespread criticism. "Looking at that phrase alone, I thought it sounded like the kind of political rhetoric the People Power Party uses — and yet it came from our own party leader's mouth, drawing considerable criticism," Kim said. "It was a truly remarkable gaffe."
Kim also rebuffed the leadership's claim of a sweeping victory in the local elections. "In the race for basic local government heads, the Democratic Party won 115 seats and the People Power Party 95 — hardly a wide margin," he said. "It is no exaggeration to say this was nearly a complete defeat. The biggest reason for the loss was a total absence of strategy on the part of the leadership."
Rep. Moon Jin-seog of the same party echoed the criticism on Facebook, writing that the phrase "'The people are eternal; administrations are short-lived' is highly inappropriate language for the leader of the ruling party," and adding, "I am deeply worried about our party's future."
Meanwhile, within the pro-Jung faction, pressure has mounted against Rep. Song Young-gil, who is considered a potential candidate for the next party leadership. Song had defended North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young — who ran against Lee Won-taek, the governor-elect, after being expelled from the Democratic Party and running as an independent — saying, "Kim Kwan-young is ultimately a Democratic Party person."
Lee Won-taek responded on Facebook, demanding that Song face disciplinary action. "Rep. Song Young-gil's conduct against the party must be punished without fail. It is a betrayal of the party members who fought desperately across North Jeolla to protect the Democratic Party candidate," Lee wrote. "This is conduct against the party that cannot be tolerated." Supreme Council member Lee Seong-yun and Rep. Choi Min-hee had earlier criticized Song on similar grounds.
Song responded on Facebook, writing, "We can think differently. We can take different paths. We can compete." He added, however, "But there is no need for people who are looking in the same direction to poke each other in the eyes."
In the opposition camp, intraparty clashes over the future of People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok have intensified following the election of Jeong Jeom-sik as the new floor leader. Open confrontations erupted at the first supreme council meeting after Jeong's election, and junior lawmakers have since joined calls for Jang to step down.
At Thursday's supreme council meeting, Supreme Council member Woo Jae-jun addressed Jang directly, saying, "You should run again at the national convention and be evaluated by the membership. That way, dissatisfied party members will accept the outcome and we can move forward as one." He formally proposed that the entire leadership resign together.
Supreme Council member Jo Gwang-han pushed back sharply, saying, "Making such immature remarks in public shows a serious lack of political judgment." The two were also reported to have exchanged heated words during a subsequent closed-door session of the council.
Jang still has roughly one year and two months left in his term. Under PPP rules, holding a national convention requires the party to first enter an emergency committee structure due to a leadership vacancy — a threshold met only if four elected supreme council members resign. Attention is now focused on whether anyone beyond Woo will follow suit.
The PPP junior lawmakers' group Alternative and Future also formally called for Jang's resignation at a press conference Thursday. Rep. Lee Sung-kwon, the group's secretary, said, "The People Power Party was routed in the June 3 local elections. Jang's leadership has collapsed, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Jang Dong-hyeok leadership." The group asked floor leader Jeong to convene a general assembly of lawmakers to resolve the matter.
The question of Jang's future now rests with Jeong. His decision is expected to shape both whether an early national convention is held and how the next leadership race takes shape.
Speaking immediately after his election Wednesday, Jeong said the issue should be resolved "by gathering the collective wisdom of lawmakers." Political observers expect him to pursue a consensus-building approach rather than any forcible removal.
Should Jang step down before completing his term, independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon is widely seen as a strong frontrunner for the next party leadership.
That scenario, however, hinges on Han rejoining the party without complications. Jeong struck a cautious note on the matter, saying it is "not yet at the stage for internal party discussion."
Within and outside the party, many say Han's return is only a matter of time. Rep. Jo Kyung-tae said on KBS Radio Thursday that Han rejoining the party "is only natural," while Rep. Kim Jae-seop told YTN that "I think we will almost certainly fight the general election on the same team as Rep. Han."
Jeong also began assembling his floor leadership team Thursday, appointing two-term Rep. Kim Seung-su of Daegu's Buk-eul district as chief deputy floor leader for operations.
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