Moon Jeong-bok targets Kim Min-seok over governance lapses during president's overseas trip; rival factions trade blows at Supreme Council meeting in Gwangju

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (right) and Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae speak after the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the June 10 Independence Movement at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (right) and Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae speak after the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the June 10 Independence Movement at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]

With the Democratic Party of Korea's national convention set for August, an all-out factional war has broken out between the camps of party leader Jung Chung-rae and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok — the two leading contenders for the party leadership. High-intensity attacks and public clashes at official leadership meetings signal that the race for party chief is heating up well ahead of schedule.

Moon Jeong-bok, a Supreme Council member aligned with Jung, opened fire on Kim's recent conduct at a field Supreme Council meeting held Friday in Gwangju. "The more President Lee Jae Myung is abroad serving the national interest, the more firmly the party and government must support state affairs," Moon said.

Moon then took direct aim at Kim's attendance at a workshop for newly elected officials from Gyeonggi Province following the June 3 local elections, held in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. "It is not urgent business for the person responsible for standing in for the president during an overseas trip to deliver congratulatory remarks and pose for photographs at an election-winners' workshop two days in a row," she said. The criticism amounted to an accusation that Kim had lost sight of the gravity of the prime ministerial role and was already consumed by an early bid for the party leadership.

The pro-Jung camp's counterattack came as pressure on Jung to step down had been intensifying from within the party. Supreme Council member Hwang Myeong-seon, who joined the leadership through a by-election for a seat previously held by a Kim ally, had already applied indirect pressure on Jung to forgo a re-election bid. Hwang said the party "did not win" the June 3 local elections — "we failed" — and called on the leadership to "take a responsible stance."

What had until now been a largely below-the-surface power struggle between the two frontrunners burst into open combat at Friday's meeting. Allies of President Lee Jae Myung and Kim Min-seok hit back in kind. Supreme Council member Kang Deuk-gu raised his voice at the meeting, declaring that "the people and party members are eternal, but party power is fleeting" — a pointed twist on Jung's own post-election remark that "the people are eternal and political power is fleeting," with "political power" swapped for "party power."

The Democratic Party has set its national convention for Aug. 17 and is working out the details of a regional primary election circuit, but the candidates are already moving fast. Jung is said to have resolved to seek re-election and is expected to step down as party leader around June 24 — around the time the convention preparatory committee is formed — even though party rules impose no mandatory resignation deadline. Kim, meanwhile, is expected to formally announce his leadership bid in late June to early July, once the National Assembly confirmation process for Han Sung-sook, the incoming prime minister nominee set to take over the cabinet, is complete.

Inside the party, alarm is spreading that the leadership has devolved into a proxy battleground for the two factions before either contender has even officially declared. Adding another variable is whether lawmaker Song Young-gil — a potential dark-horse candidate — will enter the race. Song had been sharply critical of Jung's leadership over candidate nominations ahead of the elections. He signaled he would decide on a convention run based on Jung's next move, suggesting he would finalize his plans around June 24, when Jung is expected to resign.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com