June 15, 2026
SEOUL – A rift within the ruling bloc appears to be widening ahead of the Democratic Party of Korea’s leadership primary in August.
A key point of contention is whether Rep. Jung Chung-rae, the beleaguered party chair, will seek to extend his term that began in August 2025, with pressure mounting following his recent remarks that no administration would outlive its people.
President Lee Jae Myung, who is currently on a state visit to Italy and the Vatican, said in an X post that it was not the right time for the ruling party to take a confrontational stance in the pursuit of political ideals.
“The ruling party’s passion must be directed at the entire nation, not ‘our bloc,'” Lee said, urging the ruling party to “mediate conflicts and minimize trouble within the liberal bloc” instead of instigating “confrontation and exclusion.”
“If we are to use our true strength, I would prefer to act like a vast ocean that embraces and purifies everything, instead of a torrent that sweeps everything away.”
A Jung aide downplayed the notion of conflict between Lee and Jung.
Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, secretary-general of the Democratic Party, told reporters in a press conference Sunday that Lee’s remarks were not intended to single out Jung, adding his remarks “must have a broader implication,” and therefore speculation that Jung was being targeted in the post would “distort the president’s will.”
“If the president’s will is misinterpreted as such, that itself actually narrows the president’s vision,” Jo said.
Lee’s remarks followed Cheong Wa Dae’s extraordinary decision to exclude Jung and ruling party Floor Leader Rep. Han Byung-do from the group of officials accompanying Lee as he boarded Air Force One.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, a potential rival to Jung for the Democratic Party leadership, was present.
Cheong Wa Dae said the decision was intended to reduce the number of officials there “due to grave situations” at home and abroad, urging the media to refrain from overinterpretation.
Before Lee’s departure for Europe, Lee said in a news conference held at Cheong Wa Dae to mark the beginning of his second year in office that the local elections’ outcome in early June should “not be perceived as a success,” in contrast to Jung’s assessment Thursday that it was successful.
Meanwhile, Jung has been at odds with fellow party lawmakers who are calling for an adjustment in his push to grant dues-paying party members the same voting rights as party delegates in the August primary.
One of the lawmakers, Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui, said Friday that Jung was “triggering division within the party,” as Jung unveiled the names of lawmakers, including Jeon, who had called for an adjustment.