Is it ‘one team’ on the edge of a cliff, or an unstoppable ‘power struggle’: a test of Jeong Cheong-rae’s leadership > News

Recently, the atmosphere within the Democratic Party seems to be walking on thin ice. The voices of criticism within the party toward Representative Chung Cheong-rae are growing stronger, and the key point is especially the claim of responsibility for the defeat in the local elections. Personnel within the party, including Supreme Council member Hwang Myeong-seon and Kang Deuk-gu, criticized the leadership’s incompetence and warned that “the people are eternal and the regime is short.” This criticism goes beyond mere disappointment with the election results and suggests that factional conflict within the party has fully risen to the surface. The order within the party is being severely shaken, with even Representative Kim Yong-min pouring out harsh criticism toward Representative Chung and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, calling them ‘failure points’ and raising fundamental questions about the next leadership.

In this crisis situation within the party, Representative Chung Cheong-rae began to strategically ‘humble himself’ by heaping praise on President Lee Jae-myung. Representative Chung praised the achievements of President Lee’s European tour as ‘world class’ and emphasized his diplomatic capabilities in contrast to the previous administration. This was also repeated at official occasions such as the June 15th Inter-Korean Summit commemoration ceremony, where President Lee was defined as a ‘peacemaker’ who inherited the spirit of former President Kim Dae-jung, making efforts to bridge the cracks in the relationship between the party and the government. Experts interpret this change in Representative Chung's attitude as a response to President Lee's recent warning on social media to focus on the 'language of responsibility' and as a sophisticated political calculation to avoid isolation.

The reality of the conflict between the party and the administration is also clearly revealed in public opinion poll indicators. According to a recent Realmeter survey, the Democratic Party's approval rating fell outside the margin of error due to the People Power Party, experiencing a loss of supporters for the first time since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration. This appears to be the result of a combination of the National Election Commission's poor election situation, the ruling party's lukewarm response to it, and the leadership controversy surrounding Representative Chung Cheong-rae. In particular, it is painful for the Democratic Party that moderates and young people in their 20s are turning their backs on the party. Although the party is calling for an investigation into the truth by placing responsibility for election management on the National Election Commission, public opinion is already feeling tired of the factional fight within the party and is turning its back on it.

Nevertheless, the Democratic Party leadership actively denies the theory of conflict between party offices and is in a hurry to evolve, saying it is a ‘process of strengthening.’ Representative Kim Hyun-jung and others interpret the current chaos as a convergence process to make the party healthier, and emphasize that election evaluation and leadership re-establishment will be carried out through the national convention. However, the prevailing analysis in some quarters is that it is difficult to quell the conflict simply by praising diplomatic achievements when emotions have already deepened, such as Representative Chung's absence from President Lee's farewell event. Now is the time for the Democratic Party to ask itself whether it is getting lost in a whirlpool of internal power struggles rather than presenting policy alternatives for the people's livelihood.