As the first traveling primary to elect the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea kicked off on the 1st in the Chungcheong region, the leadership race between former Chair Jung Chung-rae and former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has spilled over into the Supreme Council election. Candidate Seo Mi-hwa criticized Jung as "irresponsible self-serving politics," while candidate Lee Seong-yoon said Kim had engaged in "Shincheonji filth throwing," showing intensifying factional clashes.
On the morning of the 1st in Gongju, South Chungcheong, candidate Seo raised the issue of accountability for the party leadership led by former Chair Jung during the joint speech at the Democratic Party's 3rd National Party Members' Convention. Seo said, "What did the first-term leadership of the ruling party do?" and added, "Riding a government approval rating of over 65% in the June 3 local elections, a race the media and public opinion expected to be a '15-to-1' victory ended '12-to-4,' drawing a stern warning from public sentiment."
Seo added, "But the previous leadership offered neither responsible reflection nor a sincere apology," criticizing that "they even patted themselves on the back for winning." Seo stressed, "Humbly acknowledging the public's warning is the sense of crisis and responsibility needed to prepare for a better future," and "Irresponsible self-serving politics must not be left unchecked."
Taking the podium after Seo, candidate Lee said of the Shincheonji meddling allegations raised by former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok that Kim had "thrown Shincheonji filth." Lee also said, "Why do we keep calling an election we won one that we lost?" and added, "Wedge-driving is an act that divides the party."
Candidate Kim Young-ho criticized former Chair Jung's handling of party-government relations. "The previous leadership ran our party in a very closed manner and used the party's playing field far too narrowly," Kim said, adding, "If we are a livelihood-focused ruling party that takes responsibility, the party–government–Blue House relationship should be smooth, but instead it squeaked and created a very unsettling signal."
By contrast, lawmakers Han Min-su and Choi Min-hee, seen as pro-Jung, kept in step with former Chair Jung and emphasized a reform line. Candidate Han said, "Reform is people's livelihood, and people's livelihood is reform," adding, "Our party won when we reformed and failed when we stopped reform." Han continued, "We will keep pushing the party's reform agenda—prosecution reform, judicial reform, media reform—until the party members say, 'That's enough.'"
Lawmaker Choi Min-hee also said, "There is a mood to downplay the achievements we accomplished with party members over the past year," adding, "Didn't we, together with party members, achieve that difficult prosecution reform, the judicial reform and broadcasting reform no one else could do, and even some economic reforms?"
In the Democratic Party Supreme Council election, a total of eight candidates—Choi Min-hee, Kim Yong, Kim Young-ho, Seo Mi-hwa, Han Min-su, Lee Seong-yoon, Park Sun-won, and Lim Mi-ae (in numerical order)—are competing to elect five winners. After holding joint speeches in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, and Daejeon, the party leader and Supreme Council candidates plan to announce the Chungcheong region dues-paying members' vote results at around 7 p.m.