Kim vows to end primary divisions if elected; Jung fires back

Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidate Kim Min-seok delivers his policy speech at the joint speech rally for the party's leader and supreme council member primary at Incheon Namdong Gymnasium on Saturday. [Yonhap]

The three Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidates — Song Young-gil, Jung Chung-rae and Kim Min-seok, listed in ballot order — took their campaigns to Jeju Island and Incheon on Saturday as the second week of the regional primary tour for the Aug. 17 national convention got underway. The candidates presented their platforms at joint speech rallies held that morning at Heritage Jeju and Incheon Namdong Gymnasium, respectively.

Kim and Song kept up their attacks on Jung, though Kim shifted his emphasis from last week's speeches toward intraparty unity, his working relationship with President Lee Jae Myung and region-specific campaign pledges.

Jung, meanwhile, reframed the attacks against him through an underdog narrative while appealing to party members, and sharply criticized Kim over allegations of involvement with the Shincheonji religious group.

In his speech, Kim said that if elected party leader he would "make a firm and certain start toward bringing all primary-related divisions within the party to absolute zero," adding that he would "build a solid, expanding base and unite all capable forces — conservative, progressive and centrist — into one."

He also called for "normalizing the party membership structure" as a path to unity, pledging to resolve problems involving dual party registration, involuntary enrollment and ghost members.

Appearing to address Jung's camp's attacks over his criticism of President Lee — then the overall campaign committee chairman — during the local elections four years ago, Kim said, "I have worked alongside President Lee, who took me in and showed me 100 percent trust and gave me the opportunity to give 100 percent of my ability, even though I had criticized him." He then asked, "Who here has shared the president's governing philosophy and policy direction more closely than Kim Min-seok over the past several years?"

On Jung's abrupt announcement of a merger proposal with the Rebuilding Korea Party — which subsequently fell apart — Kim said it was "a bombshell declaration that collapsed into chaos."

Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidate Jung Chung-rae delivers his policy speech at the joint speech rally for the party's leader and supreme council member primary at Incheon Namdong Gymnasium on Saturday. [Yonhap]

Jung trained his fire on Kim, saying the convention's "true nature is an election in which party members pass judgment on a candidate who tried to split the party and wound its members through anti-Lee factionalism, divisionism and allegations about Shincheonji."

Responding to Kim's calls for unity, Jung said it was "not something that candidate Kim — who has been stoking conflict and dragging this convention through the mud — has any right to say," and demanded an apology. He also urged party members not to forgive "those who are spreading the false claim that Gwangju's semiconductor cluster will go wrong if Jung Chung-rae becomes party leader," saying, "I ask that you hold them accountable."

Jung again invoked the 2002 "Hudan-hyup," or candidate unification council, crisis, saying, "We remember the painful memory of those who betrayed Roh Moo-hyun and crossed over to Chung Mong-joon in the 2002 presidential election." He repeated his characterization of Kim as a traitor, adding, "Old habits die hard."

Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidate Song Young-gil delivers his policy speech at the joint speech rally for the party's leader and supreme council member primary at Incheon Namdong Gymnasium on Saturday. [Yonhap]

Song went directly after Jung's bid for a second term as party leader, saying flatly, "It's done. There's no need for a second term." He added, "Even bone broth runs dry after three boilings — what more is there to say about prosecutorial reform?"

Song also took aim at Jung's recent tribute to late former President Roh Moo-hyun, in which Jung quoted the phrase "only after the flowers fell did I realize it was spring." Song said Jung "must not shed tears again saying he only realized it was spring after Lee Jae Myung is gone," and warned him not to "drive a nail into President Lee's heart by saying 'administrations are short but the people are eternal.'"

Song, a six-term Assembly member from Incheon who also served as the city's mayor, made a direct appeal to local voters on his home turf, asking "the citizens of Incheon to join forces."

The factional battle between pro-Lee and pro-Jung camps also flared during the supreme council candidate speeches.

Pro-Lee candidate Seo Mi-hwa criticized Jung, saying, "How can you claim to protect the president while responding with 'no comment' when the ruling party leader should obviously be speaking up?" Fellow pro-Lee candidate Kim Yong said Jung was "picking a fight with 1.6 million rights-holding party members while failing to embrace 160 Assembly members."

Candidate Park Seon-won told Jung's outgoing leadership, "The Jung Chung-rae leadership has no more mission. There is nothing left to do," while candidate Im Mi-ae argued, "Shouldn't we try building a leadership that trusts the people, rather than one that doubts the president's will to reform?"

The pro-Jung camp, by contrast, argued that the convention rules were tilted in Kim's favor and rallied around Jung.

Candidates Choi Min-hee, Han Min-su and Lee Sung-yoon criticized calls from some in the pro-Lee camp for a supplementary vote to cover members who had not yet cast ballots, saying, "They want to change the rules while the game is already being played."

Lee said the pro-Lee side had "introduced a preferential voting system not in the party constitution when rewriting the convention rules, thrown a fit demanding that unqualified candidates be registered, and is now calling for additional voting even after balloting has ended," calling it "a voting coup with no basis in party rules." He urged party members to "protect our leader Jung Chung-rae from the mob politics of one against five, one against three, one against dozens."

The Democratic Party's regional primary tour continues Sunday in Gangwon Province, Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

yckim6452@heraldcorp.com