On August 2, the candidates Jeong Cheong-rae and Park Chan-dae, who ran for the leadership election of the Democratic Party of Korea, revealed their plans for the success of the Lee Jae-myung government and next year's local elections during the party convention. The two candidates presented 'strong reform' and 'a unified party-government team for people's livelihood' as their key phrases and appealed to both party members and the public.
During the presentation at the party convention held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, candidate Park opened his remarks by saying, "In the Lee Jae-myung era, we must take responsibility together. Let's work hard to complete the Lee Jae-myung era, Democratic Party!" Supporters gathered in the venue cheered and applauded.
Candidate Park emphasized, "Although I created a Democratic Party where the party members are the owners, in reality, Roh Moo-hyun is not by our side. Now, the era of Lee Jae-myung has come. Right now, we have President Lee Jae-myung. We are fighting and working. This time, things must be different. This time, we have to protect it."
He highlighted his achievements during his time as floor leader by stating, "I was at the center of the struggle over the passage of the impeachment motion against Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim Keon-hee, the special investigation into the termination of rebellion, the proposal of the 'Special Law for the Termination of Rebellion,' and the report of the three people involved in the coup d'état against our system." He continued, "To ensure that this president can focus solely on people's livelihood, I, Park Chan-dae, will take the arrows in his place."
Candidate Park noted, "The victory in next year's local elections and the start of the 5th, 6th, and 7th democratic governments after the Lee Jae-myung administration also depend on the achievements of this year," emphasizing the transformation into a nationwide party and a people's livelihood party through moderate expansion.
He added, "The Democratic Party, which understands public sentiment and the field well, will create, decide, and take responsibility for policies together with the government. We will move forward with the pace and direction alongside the people," while saying, "We will truly become a 'unified party-government team.'"
Next, Jeong candidate grabbed the microphone and immediately stated, "First, reform; second, reform; third, reform. Strong reform, Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae," raising his voice. He continued, "There is no government that can win against public sentiment, and there is no party authority that can win against party sentiment. Just as the owner of the country is the people, the owner of the Democratic Party is the party members," emphasizing this message. At this point, the party members seated in the venue cheered loudly while watching the speech.
Candidate Jeong declared, "I will push through judicial reform, media reform, and criminal justice reform like a storm and finish it at lightning speed. I will wrap up the reform legislation within three months and ensure that the vehicle of the Lee Jae-myung government can drive smoothly with the people's livelihood on board."
He then said, "I will handle the fights, so the president should just focus on work. I will take care of the unpleasant, dangerous, and fight-related matters," and added, "I will attribute the flowers and fruits of cooperation, integration, and stability to this president's credit."
He especially remarked, "The rebellion party must be disbanded. We must cut off the roots of the rebellion party," while stating, "Eradicating the forces of rebellion comes before cooperation. Strong leadership is needed in the war against rebellion. There will be strong resistance to strong reform. I will break through that."