On the 1st, Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the election trail appearances by former Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak as "disregarding the people," saying the so-called "three from prison" are trying to drag Korea backward into the past.
At a Central Election Committee meeting held that day in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, Jung targeted former Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, saying, "The three from prison are trying to drag Korea backward into the past," and added, "The election trail appearances of Yoon Suk-yeol, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye disregard the people."
This came after, on the 31st, the final weekend before the June 3 local elections, former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye visited the Yeongnam region to back People Power Party candidates. Lee supported candidate Park Heong-joon in Busan, and Park appealed for support for candidate Choo Kyung-ho at Seomun Market in Daegu.
Jung also said, "There are still forces chanting 'Yoon Again,' dreaming of the resurrection of coup d'état ringleader Yoon Suk-yeol; former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached by the Candlelight Revolution and went to prison; and former President Lee Myung-bak, who went to prison as a symbol of corruption—these three from prison are denying and undermining President Lee Jae-myung."
Jung said, "The big blaze of the insurrection has been contained, but embers still remain and must be extinguished," adding, "If we do not completely put out the embers, they can flare up into a big fire again at any time."
He then added, "We must now consign the prison trio of Yoon Suk-yeol, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye to history," and "Please vote for No. 1 so we can join hands with President Lee Jae-myung and move forward on the path of economic development, pragmatic diplomacy and peace on the Korean Peninsula."