Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidates Kim Min-seok (left), Jung Chung-rae and Song Young-gil pose for a photo at a televised debate held at MBC in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidates Kim Min-seok (left), Jung Chung-rae and Song Young-gil pose for a photo at a televised debate held at MBC in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

The three candidates vying to lead the Democratic Party of Korea — Kim Min-seok, Jung Chung-rae and Song Young-gil — clashed over prosecution reform, accountability for the party's local election losses and allegations of faction-driven voting at their first televised debate Wednesday, ahead of the Aug. 17 party convention.

In their opening statements at the debate held at MBC in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Kim emphasized being a stable governing partner, Jung called for sweeping reform, and Song pledged to prioritize people's livelihoods as party leader.

Kim and Jung then traded accusations over prosecution reform, including the abolition of supplementary investigative powers.

Jung argued that prosecution reform is "the flag and symbol of Democratic Party reform," claiming he had taken the lead in revising the bills establishing a new investigative agency and public prosecution office to the satisfaction of party members despite widespread dissatisfaction with the government's original proposals.

Kim rebuffed that account, saying it was "strange" for Jung to take credit for fixing the government's flawed bill when Jung himself, as party leader, had asked Kim to send the first draft of the prosecution reform plan — and Kim had done so.

On the amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure, Kim said he had proposed in May that the government quickly finalize its position on abolishing supplementary investigative powers so the bill could be processed, and had offered to submit the legislation on that basis — only for the party to delay the process.

He also questioned why the party kept denying that the president and government had committed to abolishing supplementary investigative powers, calling it a lack of reform spirit.

Jung fired back, saying party members "would have been in an uproar" had the bills been passed in their original government form. On the question of the government's stated intent to abolish supplementary investigative powers, he said any such request requires actual legislation, and that legislation has still not arrived from the government. He also asked why the government had bypassed the party leader and floor leader — saying that if a request was being made to the party, it should have gone through the party leader or the floor leader, not around them.

The camps of both Kim and Jung continued their sparring after the debate, each sending "fact-check" messages to reporters.

Kim's camp said the head of the prosecution reform task force had asked the party's policy committee chair to process the bill in May, and that policy committee chair Han Jeong-ae had reported the matter to the party leader and the supreme council.

Jung's camp acknowledged that a forum had been held in May at the policy committee chair's request to discuss the government's position, but maintained that no government bill had been submitted and no formal request had been made to advance the legislation.

Meanwhile, Song took aim at Jung over a special prosecutor act on "fabricated indictments" introduced before the June 3 local elections.

Song said the bill, introduced during Jung's tenure as party leader, had stirred controversy during the local elections because it included a provision allowing the withdrawal of indictments, and asked whether it had actually helped the party at the ballot box.

Jung said the provision itself was not legally problematic but acknowledged the controversy, saying it was a matter to be decided by consulting party members again.

Song pressed further, noting that while Jung had called the local elections a victory, the party had lost the Seoul mayoral race and even President Lee Jae Myung had said the party "lost where it needed to win" and apologized. Song asked whether the president was wrong in his assessment, given the stark difference in how Jung characterized the results.

Kim also weighed in, saying that during the Busan mayoral race he had made a verbal gaffe, and that in the Pyeongtaek by-election in Gyeonggi Province he had been unable to take a clear position on candidate endorsements — leaving him effectively sidelined in both contests. He questioned whether putting Jung in charge again would resolve the leadership shortcomings exposed during the elections.

Jung responded by suggesting Kim simply did not know what it was like to lead the party. He then defended his statement the day after the local elections — in which he thanked the public for "a great nationwide victory" while adding that "it hurts not to have retaken Seoul" — saying the statement had been coordinated among the party, government and presidential office, and that officially labeling the election a defeat could have branded the Lee Jae Myung administration and the party as wholesale losers. "The Seoul mayoral result is something that weighs on my heart," he said.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com