Democratic Party of Korea Secretary-General Jo Seoung-lae drew a line against interpretations that President Lee Jae-myung's message that "the ruling party should focus more on the language of responsibility" was aimed at Jung Chung-rae's leadership, saying it was "a distortion of the president's intent." Jo also said the party would coolly assess the entire election through the Local Election Evaluation Committee.
Meeting with reporters at the National Assembly on the 14th, Secretary-General Jo said that, regarding President Lee Jae-myung posting on X (formerly Twitter) the previous day a note titled "The ruling party, the opposition party, and political responsibility," and writing that "for the opposition party, oversight and checks are important, but for the ruling party, responsibility and performance commensurate with its authority, as well as inclusion and unity, are important," "interpretations can vary," and added, "it appears intended to renew the president's own resolve."
He went on, "The president is also a member of the ruling party," adding, "rather than targeting a particular individual or a particular leadership, this message emphasizes the responsibility for what posture our ruling party should take in running state affairs after the local elections."
He continued, "Narrowing this down to a particular figure or leadership distorts the president's intent," noting, "doing so would actually narrow the president's broader purpose and is not appropriate." He added, "Such an interpretation can only be seen as using the president for other political purposes."
In addition, Secretary-General Jo said he plans to form a separate evaluation committee to assess the local elections, objectively review the entire election process, and reflect the findings in the party's future operations and strategy.
Regarding the local election assessment, Secretary-General Jo stressed that the evaluation should comprehensively cover the impact that messages from party and government figures during the campaign had on public opinion. He said, "Rather than a specific event or individual message, we need to look together at what issues arose throughout the election process, what responses and messages were delivered, and how the public reacted," adding, "excluding this would make it only a half-baked assessment."
He also pointed out that internal rifts revealed in places such as Pyeongtaek and North Jeolla, and conflicts intertwined with the next party leadership race, are likewise key subjects for evaluation. Secretary-General Jo added, "It is natural for the leadership to bear the greatest responsibility, but a proper assessment is difficult if other factors are excluded."