The ruling Democratic Party lawmakers Jung Chung-rae and Park Chan-dae, who have declared their bids for party leader, visited the national innovation council for the Democratic Party on June 29 and pledged to complete reforms of the prosecution, judiciary, and media before Chuseok. The council, formed by close allies of Lee Jae-myung, is the largest pro-Lee factional group outside the party’s official structure. Though not an official party body, it became the venue for their first joint appearance since entering the race.
The two lawmakers competed with increasingly hardline rhetoric. Park said he would “surely finish the reforms before Chuseok,” while Jung declared, “I want people to hear news of the prosecution’s abolition while driving home for the holidays.” Park also called for revising the broadcasting law to remove Korea Communications Commission Chair Lee Jin-sook before the holiday. Jung said reforms should “sweep through like a storm and strike like lightning.”
Their decision to appear first at a factional event rather than an official party platform suggests the Democratic Party may continue distancing itself from President Lee’s calls for bipartisan cooperation. The innovation council previously led a nationwide hunger strike in support of Lee during the 2023 vote on his parliamentary arrest motion and collected a million signatures before his trial. Ahead of the general election, the group also led attacks against anti-Lee factions within the party.
Both Jung and Park have long represented the party’s hardline wing. As former floor leader, Park pushed through controversial bills, including impeachment motions against officials in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Jung, as chair of the Judiciary Committee, held impeachment hearings and unilaterally advanced key legislation. Both have frequently echoed the views of Lee’s most fervent supporters. With both hardliners in the race, the contest has become a battle to prove who is more loyal to Lee Jae-myung. Whichever candidate wins, it raises concerns over whether the ruling party will govern with the broader public in mind.