Jeong Cheong-rae Vows 'Language of Comrades,' Distancing from Criticism

Jeong Cheong-rae, former leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, declared on July 6 that he would refrain from negative campaigning and exclusively employ "language of unity, language of comrades." This statement appears to be a response to criticism from former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.

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I will not engage in negativity. I will only use the language of unity, the language of comrades.

Kim had previously stated that "the 폐해 (harmful effects) of self-politics over the past year have thrown the party and party-government cooperation into confusion." This remark was widely interpreted as a direct jab at Jeong, particularly as Kim announced his candidacy for the party leadership in the upcoming August 17 convention.

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the 폐해 (harmful effects) of self-politics over the past year have thrown the party and party-government cooperation into confusion.

In response, Jeong posted two messages on Facebook. He urged supporters of past leaders like Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in, as well as those who endured the "December 12th emergency martial law" with Lee Jae-myung, to unite. "If we unite, we will win," Jeong wrote, reiterating his commitment to using only "language of unity, language of comrades."

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Let's all unite, people who respect Kim Dae-jung, people who love Roh Moo-hyun, people who like Moon Jae-in, people who endured the December 12th emergency martial law with Lee Jae-myung.

In another post, Jeong called for drawing strength from the histories of Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in to further bloom Lee Jae-myung's legacy. He advocated for "four-president integration" internally and external "integration and solidarity" to ensure the success of an "Lee Jae-myung government" and "regain power." He again stressed his intention to avoid negative campaigning and use only "language of comrades."

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If we unite, we will win. I will only use the language of unity, the language of comrades.