Lee Jae-myung and Park Yong-jin Court Jeonnam..."Unified Democratic Party" vs "No Toxic Fandom"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Lee Jae-myung and Park Yong-jin, candidates challenging for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, made appeals to party members at a joint rally held on the morning of the 21st at the Gangjin Sports Complex in Jeollanam-do.

Candidate Lee, who recorded a high vote share of 76.81% (cumulative 78.05%) in the Jeonbuk regional primary the day before, emphasized party unity and innovation, stating, "I will create a unified Democratic Party."

He said, "I will never divide power for private interests or specific factions," adding, "Beyond recognizing differences, I will gather more public support in various areas through role sharing. Through unity, I will build a Democratic Party that definitely wins."

He continued, "We will firmly check the arrogance and unilateralism of the ruling party and become a strong Democratic Party that does what it must," emphasizing, "A true people's party that communicates with the public and regards the people's will as sacred, an innovative and promising Democratic Party."

On the other hand, candidate Park, who is trailing with a cumulative 21.95%, criticized candidate Lee, saying, "In the future Democratic Party that Park Yong-jin wants to create, there will be no malignant fandoms running rampant, no confusion caused by self-nomination and factionalization controversies, and no political hooligans or coordinate units suppressing diverse opinions within the party."

He added, "There will be no irresponsible acts where supreme council members become mere attendants to the party leader, internal checks and balances disappear, and party members are turned into online rubber stamps while leaders hide behind members' votes," appealing, "If one faction takes all the leadership positions and arbitrarily overturns the party constitution and platform, leading to criticism outside the party that they 'get both the pheasant and the egg and monopolize even the broth,' our Democratic Party will fall into the midst of a democracy crisis."

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