The Democratic Party of Korea shifted straight into "party convention mode" right after the June 3 local elections. Party leader Jung Chung-rae, who is seeking another term, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who is expected to offer to resign soon, and former leader Song Young-gil, who returned to the National Assembly with a sixth term, are in the field of potential candidates for party leader. The candidates challenging for the party leadership are amplifying calls to hold Leader Jung accountable after losses in key battlegrounds in the local elections such as Seoul and Busan Buk-gap.
On the 5th, his first day reporting to work at the National Assembly after winning the by-election in Incheon Yeonsu-gap, former leader Song told reporters, "The Democratic Party must create a turning point to win over the hearts of voters in their 20s and 30s who are drifting away."
On a radio program the previous day, former leader Song said he "felt in his bones how important party leadership is," raising what he called the "Jung Chung-rae responsibility" issue. The gist is that the Jung Chung-rae leadership should be held responsible for defeats in key battlegrounds of the June 3 local elections and the parliamentary by-elections—Seoul, Busan Buk-gap, and Pyeongtaek-e in Gyeonggi. In political circles, the reaction is that Song's remarks are made with the party convention slated for late August or early September in mind.
Kang Deuk-gu, a Democratic Party lawmaker seen as aligned with Kim Min-seok, pressed the case for holding the leadership accountable even more strongly. Meeting reporters at the National Assembly the same day, Kang said, "We did win, but it's clear there are aspects we must reflect on and examine—that is the outcome of this election," adding, "I think the leadership has no choice but to shoulder responsibility." Earlier, Prime Minister Kim had hit "like" and then undone it on a post by a pro-ruling-party YouTuber criticizing Leader Jung Chung-rae.
As Prime Minister Kim and former leader Song squared off against Leader Jung, some observers suggested they could form a "united front." In fact, when Song posted on Facebook that day about his first day reporting to the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Kim commented, "It is the return of a great figure who will save the party and the nation. I am as delighted at your comeback as if it were my own."
Leader Jung appears to be taking on the offensive over calls to hold him accountable by pushing a "white paper publication." At a general meeting of lawmakers that day, Jung said, "Evaluations of the local elections and the parliamentary by-elections should be done not at the individual level but as a system," adding, "For the white paper, it would be best to assess as objectively as possible by considering both external and internal perspectives at the same time."
In particular, there is also an assessment that Leader Jung still showed a solid base in Honam, where dues-paying members are concentrated. In the Jeonbuk governor race, considered a Democratic Party stronghold, Lee Won-taeg won more comfortably than expected, beating independent candidate Kim Kwan-young by 9.44 percentage points (p). In the basic-level local government head races in Jeonnam and Gwangju, the Democratic Party also took 22 seats in a landslide.
A Democratic Party official said, "Even if the results were not good in battlegrounds in the local elections, the party sentiment in Honam, which wields major influence at the party convention, appears intact," adding, "It is true that Prime Minister Kim or former leader Song are still at a disadvantage compared to Leader Jung."