Jung Chung-rae, who greeted Lee Jae-myung on his return, moves to calm rumors of conflict between the party and the presidential office

[Financial News] Jung Chung-rae, leader of The Democratic Party of Korea, personally welcomed President Lee Jae-myung, who returned from his European trip on the 18th, in an apparent effort to calm rumors of conflict between the party and the presidential office. However, with the party convention in August approaching, whether Jung will seek a second term is emerging as the biggest question, and competition for control within the party is expected to intensify.
Jung greeted the president and his wife at Seongnam Air Base after their 10-day, nine-night overseas trip. Lee, after first shaking hands with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, also shook hands with Jung and exchanged greetings. Floor leader Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party of Korea also joined the welcoming party.
Earlier, Jung had been caught up in speculation that his relationship with Lee had become strained over the results of the June 3 local elections and by-elections for members of the National Assembly. The speculation grew after Lee remarked, in reference to the loss of the Seoul Metropolitan City Mayor race and other districts such as Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, and the Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency, that "we lost where we should have won." In addition, when Jung did not appear at the president’s departure for an overseas trip, which is usually attended by the ruling party leadership, and Prime Minister Kim accompanied Lee instead, some inside and outside the party interpreted it as a sign that Kim might be gaining momentum in the next race for party leadership.
Jung’s recent remark at a Supreme Council meeting, "The people are eternal, but power is short-lived," also drew various interpretations. Some saw it as a comment aimed at Lee. In response, some within the party argued that the leadership should step down and take responsibility for the local election defeat. Jung, however, has publicly drawn a line under the conflict rumors, saying that "everyone in the Democratic Party of Korea is pro-Lee."
With Jung personally greeting Lee on his return, the rumors of conflict between the party and the presidential office appear to have eased for now. Still, attention has already shifted to the party convention in August. Jung’s bid for a second term is widely seen as a foregone conclusion, and debate over responsibility for the local election defeat and the structure of the leadership race is beginning to take shape.
The Democratic Party Convention Preparatory Committee is expected to launch as early as the 26th, after approval by the Party Affairs Committee. By convention, Jung is also expected around that time to announce whether he will step down as leader and run in the party convention.
Jung recently instructed the Local Election Evaluation Committee to complete a white paper analyzing the election results before the party convention. As questions of responsibility for the defeat continue to surface inside and outside the party, observers say the evaluation of the election outcome will be a key variable in the run-up to the convention.
Another key variable is whether the one person, one vote system, introduced for the first time at this convention, will be revised. Some within the party are calling for changes, saying the system could favor certain regions and generations. As a result, tensions over the convention rules are likely to continue for some time.
jiwon.song@fnnews.com Song Ji-won Reporter