Partisan divisions in South Korea are deepening as Rep. Jung Chung-rae, the newly elected chair of the ruling Democratic Party, declared he would not work with the main opposition People Power Party until it shows genuine remorse over its alleged ties to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
Following Jung's defeat of Rep. Park Chan-dae in Saturday's leadership election at the party's national convention, Jung said the People Power Party "must offer sincere reflection and an apology" before anything else.
"I will not shake hands with them otherwise," Jung told reporters following the convention.
He added, "Even if they do apologize, it may not be enough. As long as the People Power Party continues to defend Yoon, there can be no cooperation."
Jung also warned of possible legal steps to disband the People Power Party.
"If the special counsel investigation finds that accomplices, abettors and collaborators exist within the People Power Party, public demand for filing a Constitutional Court petition to dissolve the party will grow," Jung said. "At that point, I will make a prudent decision as party leader."
This echoed his stance in his acceptance speech, in which he reiterated the Democratic Party’s commitment to rooting out what he called "insurrectionist forces."
The People Power Party, which is also due to hold a leadership election on Aug. 22, pushed back.
"This is a declaration of war," Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a candidate for the leadership election, wrote in a post on Facebook. He accused Jung of signaling "an even more blatant legislative dictatorship and reckless lawmaking, emboldened by the ruling party’s overwhelming majority."
"And stop mentioning the dissolution of our party," he added.
Former People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, also running in the leadership race, likened Jung’s remarks to a political manifesto aimed at pushing through the Democratic Party’s reform agenda by October.
"This is a pledge to destroy the opposition and dismantle the national system," Kim wrote on Facebook.
At a separate campaign event on Sunday, Kim went further, saying it is the Democratic Party — not the People Power Party — that should be disbanded, citing its alleged involvement in illegal remittances to North Korea that supported Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program, as well as the ongoing trial of President Lee over the matter.
Rep. Joo Jin-woo, also vying for party leadership, criticized Jung’s comments as politically opportunistic.
"Even after becoming party leader, threatening to eliminate the People Power Party entirely under the pretext of 'rooting out insurrection' contradicts the Lee Jae Myung administration’s supposed focus on governance and livelihoods," he said. "Such populist rhetoric aimed at hardline supporters will not resonate with the broader public."
The People Power Party is scheduled to elect its new chair at the party convention on Aug. 22. In addition to Ahn, Kim and Joo, the race includes Reps. Cho Kyoung-tae and Jang Dong-hyeok.
Separately, the party’s senior spokesperson, Rep. Park Sung-hoon, called on Jung to respect the institutional role of the opposition, saying his remarks reflected "an unprecedented level of hostility" from a ruling party leader.
With the main conservative opposition expressing discontent over Jung's remarks, Kim Hyun-jung, the Democratic Party’s floor spokesperson, said Sunday, "The People Power Party expressed concern over Rep. Jung Chung-rae’s election as party leader. But what they should really be concerned about is their own record of defending the Yoon administration’s insurrection and destruction of constitutional order."
flylikekite@heraldcorp.com
