[Lee Jae-myung Leadership] Jeong Seong-ho, Closest Ally from the Ground Up... Also Critical During Jeon Du-hwan Remarks

Jeong Seong-ho, Democratic Party Lawmaker
Volunteers as Closer in Critical Situations
Declines Senior Position Amid Core Faction Controversy

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] There is no disagreement in identifying Representative Jeong Seong-ho, the leader of the ‘7-inhoe’ and a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate. He shares a special bond with Lee as they were classmates at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When the phrase "core of the Lee Jae-myung faction" comes up, Representative Jeong often jokes, saying, "Isn't the zero-term Lee candidate actually the ‘Jeong Seong-ho faction’?" This is interpreted as his way of distancing himself from the burden that terms like ‘7-inhoe leader’ and ‘core force’ carry.

Representative Jeong began his career in civic activism as co-representative of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) and the Northern Gyeonggi Environmental Movement Federation before winning a seat in the 17th National Assembly in the 2004 general election. Since then, he has served as chief spokesperson for the Democratic United Party, senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, chairman of the National Assembly Special Committee on Judicial Reform, chairman of the National Assembly Planning and Finance Committee, and chairman of the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee. Although they were classmates at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, Jeong is considered a senior in politics, and his more polished rhetoric in the ‘Yeouido grammar’ is seen as an advantage.

During the presidential election process, Representative Jeong did not hesitate to offer candid criticism to candidate Lee. When Lee sparked controversy by mentioning the "merits and demerits of Chun Doo-hwan," Jeong called it an "inappropriate remark" and advised, "I hope the candidate pays more attention to every single expression." Their close relationship, allowing Jeong to speak frankly, is attributed to their being classmates from the 18th Judicial Research and Training Institute and ‘friends for 30 years,’ despite the age difference (Jeong born in 1961, Lee in 1964).

However, he expresses discomfort with being called a close aide. Although he jokingly referred to himself as a close aide of Lee earlier, he has made it clear that "the candidate really dislikes the kind of sycophantic entourages like the 7-inhoe," indicating his intention to keep some distance from the label of close aide.

Nonetheless, whenever Lee faced critical situations in this election, Jeong stepped up as a ‘relief pitcher.’ During the primary, when Lee’s support faltered amid attacks from non-mainstream and anti-Lee factions, Jeong defended him, saying, "It is problematic when the best fighter in a neighborhood fight is attacked and scrutinized repeatedly by others like a ‘round-robin’." When Lee’s spouse Kim Hye-kyung suffered a fall, Jeong told reporters, "The day after she was hospitalized, my wife called me and said (Kim) fell while going to the bathroom at night wearing glasses," aiming to stop the spread of fake news and also revealing their close friendship.

Recently, he played a key role as the leader in behind-the-scenes negotiations for unification with Kim Dong-yeon, the New Wave candidate. Although he was offered a high-ranking position in the current Democratic Party election committee, he declined and currently serves as the head of the general special advisory group of the campaign headquarters, sharing the position jointly with Representatives Ahn Min-seok and Lee Won-wook.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.