Jung Chung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea visited Boryeong, South Chungcheong, to support Park Soo-hyun, the candidate for South Chungcheong governor. Boryeong is also the hometown and district of People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk. Jung called Jang's U.S. trip an "diplomatic fiasco" here.
Jung held an on-site supreme council meeting on the morning of the 20th at Boryeong Mud Theme Park in South Chungcheong. In addition to the party leadership, Park Soo-hyun, the candidate for South Chungcheong governor, also attended. Aimed at Park, Jung said, "Among the lawmakers I have worked with, the most capable and diligent," and added, "It is no exaggeration to say that in the Lee Jae-myung administration's National Agenda Planning Committee, as Chairperson of the Special Committee on Balanced Growth, Park designed the five hubs and three special zones."
Jung also said, "Park Soo-hyun will guarantee South Chungcheong's development."
Jung drew a sharp line at Jang Dong-hyuk, who represents Boryeong as his district. Jung said, "Ordinary tourists may take certification shots at the White House, but parliamentary diplomacy is not done that way," adding, "An incomprehensible thing happened where the opposition leader went and could not meet the U.S. vice president, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, or the chair of the Indo-Pacific subcommittee, and only came back with a photo of the Deputy Minister's back."
Jung added, "For the development of the hometown, I hope we will cooperate with the government and ruling party rather than going our separate ways."
Candidate Park Soo-hyun said, "Boryeong now faces the historic task of shifting from a coal-fired power center to new energy," adding, "We will turn this change into an opportunity for Boryeong and South Chungcheong to leap forward again, not a crisis."
Park said, "Boryeong has a blessed sea and rich tourism resources such as the mud festival, and if roads and rail networks connecting the Seoul metropolitan area, Daejeon, and the Chungcheong region are added, Boryeong can become a city where people stay and return to, not one they just pass through," adding, "We will turn all of South Chungcheong into a hub of grand transition where industry, energy, and tourism are combined."