Facing calls to take responsibility for the local elections, Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is seeking a breakthrough by rallying party sentiment. Ahead of the party convention at the end of Aug., he has increased his schedule in Honam, where the party has the most members, and said he would expand the one-person, one-vote system, which strengthens the influence of dues-paying members, to regional organizational elections. It appears he chose to break through head-on against demands that he forgo a bid for another term to take responsibility for losses in the Seoul and Busan elections.
On the 12th, Jung paid respects at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju and held an on-site Supreme Council meeting at the Kimdaejung Convention Center. On the 9th, he privately traveled to North Jeolla, had lunch with Lee Won-taeg, the governor-elect of North Jeolla, and visited local temples. North Jeolla is a region where, in the June 3 local elections, the Democratic Party candidate won despite nomination turmoil. It also serves as a base for Jung to claim a "local election victory."
It is also notable that he put front and center the one-person, one-vote system preferred by dues-paying members. On the 10th, the Democratic Party held a party affairs committee meeting and approved a revision to party rules expanding the one-person, one-vote system to equalize the weighting of votes between delegates and dues-paying members. As a result, the one-person, one-vote system will also be introduced when electing the National Committee chair and city and provincial party chairs, in addition to the existing elections for party leader and Supreme Council members.
Some in the party criticize that the one-person, one-vote system will widen the "gap between party sentiment and public sentiment." But Jung cited by name Democratic Party lawmakers Jeon Hyun-hee and Kim Nam-hee, who raised such points, and said, "The one-person, one-vote system is democracy itself." Jeon responded, "As a public target of the party leader's pinpointing, I received all-night abuse and a barrage of text messages," and Kim wrote on social media, "I was deeply shocked to see the party leader post my name with the intent to criticize."
◇ "The administration is short" draws a public shot at Jung Chung-rae: "Party leadership is short"
At the Supreme Council meeting that day, remarks aimed at Jung poured out. Supreme Council member Hwang Myung-seon, aligned with the pro–Lee Jae-myung camp, said, "We failed to win where we could have won the local elections. The leadership, including myself and the party leader, fell short." Supreme Council member Kang Deuk-gu said, "The people and party members are eternal, but party leadership is short." The comment effectively countered Jung, who had earlier said "Administrations are short," widely seen as targeting President Lee Jae-myung. At a closed-door caucus the previous day, there were reportedly many calls for Jung to resign.
Jung, for his part, said of the "leadership accountability" debate, "The more difficult things are for the Democratic Party, the more we must unite. I hope we become a Democratic Party with the inclusiveness to acknowledge each other's turns." Moon Jeong-bok, a Democratic Party Supreme Council member aligned with the pro–Jung Chung-rae camp, also backed Jung, saying, "Words and actions that seem to shake the party over election results and set the party's course ahead of party members' choices are not in the Democratic Party's spirit."
Jung will resign when the party convention preparatory committee is formed and will seek another term as party leader. A ruling bloc official said, "Given the leadership's moves, such as reorganizing regional structures through the recent Special Committee on Organizational Reinforcement, Jung's intention to seek another term appears clear," adding, "He is likely looking for ways to overcome the unfavorable situation posed by the local election results and the delicate party–Blue House relationship."