Representative Jeong Cheong-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea positively evaluated President Lee Jae-myung's remark on the 25th that he would "talk with the new opposition party leader," calling it "an obvious and correct statement." However, he emphasized that, as the ruling party leader, he would take on "hard work and conflicts" and stressed the need for a division of roles between the president and the party leader.
On the same day, Representative Jeong stated in a Facebook post that "(President Lee) must embrace both the ruling and opposition parties as president." However, he noted, "I, as the ruling party leader, will handle the hard work and conflicts, separately but together." This response came shortly after President Lee expressed his willingness to cooperate during a press conference while visiting the U.S., stating that "Representatives Jeong and the president have different positions."
Since his inauguration, Representative Jeong has maintained a tough stance, stating that he wouldn't even shake hands with the People Power Party without a public apology for the 12·3 martial law situation and the opposition to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. However, expectations are growing that communication between the ruling and opposition party leaders may begin to open up, as candidate Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyuk, who advanced to the runoff in the People Power Party convention, stated, "We will contact Representative Jeong Cheong-rae first."
However, Representative Jeong's recent remark of "separately but together" is understood as a reaffirmation of a two-track strategy, indicating that while the president focuses on integrated governance, he will strongly push forward the party's key agendas, such as prosecution, judicial, and media reforms. He is leaving the possibility of cooperation open, but also not giving up on confrontation.
Meanwhile, Representative Jeong warned on the same day regarding candidate Kim Moon-soo's statement that he "threw grenades, broke the front door with a steel pipe, and set fire to the embassy residence" about his past history, saying, "If you do not correct it and apologize, I will take legal action." With the possibility of dialogue between the ruling and opposition leaders beginning to open, Representative Jeong reiterated his tough response policy, leading to predictions that tensions in the political arena will continue.