Lee Nak-yeon’s 'Bitter Words'... Pro-China Faction Retorts "There Is an Order to Speech" in Tense Exchange

Jeong Cheong-rae "Play as a team rather than individual play"
Lee Sang-min "Must be prepared for a cheerful breakup"

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon has delivered 'bitter words' to the current leadership, intensifying the tensions between the pro-Myeong (친명) and anti-Myeong (비명) factions. Jeong Cheong-rae, a pro-Myeong senior member of the Democratic Party, responded sharply to Lee, calling it a "solo play," while some in the anti-Myeong camp hinted at a possible party split, referring to a "pleasant separation."

On the 4th, Jeong criticized Lee's remarks on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' saying, "We need to focus more on team play rather than solo play. There is an order to work and an order to speech," pointing out the inappropriateness of Lee's comments.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During a 2-night, 3-day trip to Honam last weekend, Lee visited the National May 18th Democratic Cemetery and the Mangwol-dong National Democratic Martyrs' Cemetery in Gwangju on the 2nd, and told reporters, "The Democratic Party must achieve innovation that meets the people's expectations, gain their trust, and fulfill its necessary role." This aligns with messages from the anti-Myeong faction, and can be interpreted as criticism of the current leadership.

However, Jeong argued that Lee's remarks were out of 'order.' He said, "The people are suffering under the oppressive Yoon Seok-yeol administration, so criticism of this, the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecutor dictatorship, should come first," adding, "It is time to speak directly about these issues, and only after that should the opposition unite and fight together, saying, 'Let's become one team.' That is the proper order."

Jeong also pointed out that the lack of a meeting between Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yeon is due to Lee Nak-yeon's side playing hard to get. He expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "Why bother with calls and pushing and pulling? It seems that Lee Jae-myung wants to meet, but Lee Nak-yeon's side says trust must be restored first. Isn't trust restored by meeting?"

Within the pro-Myeong camp, there are voices emphasizing unity and integration, arguing that Lee Nak-yeon's remarks are not an attack on the Lee Jae-myung administration. Kim Young-jin, a key pro-Myeong Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "Since Lee Nak-yeon served as former party leader and prime minister, I believe his words come from concern for the Democratic Party," adding, "In my view, his remarks were appropriate, and it is necessary to move forward together in unity and integration to create a new path."

However, in the anti-Myeong camp, there are statements suggesting that even if Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yeon meet, it would not have much significance, with some hinting at a party split. Lee Sang-min, a leading anti-Myeong Democratic Party lawmaker, said on YTN's 'Shin Yul's News Face-off' the day before, "Lee Jae-myung's side probably wants to meet quickly. Of course, there are leadership issues, so they think meeting Lee Nak-yeon quickly to unite and 'lift even a blank sheet together' can overcome the crisis, but just cooperating is not enough," adding, "Good is good, and if they only show that image to the public but the content inside is lacking, it's a sham."

He continued, "We must be able to find common ground looking in the same direction to the end; if that is not achieved and they just take a temporary measure, there will definitely be a fracture," adding, "Sometimes, if the will does not match and the direction cannot be shared, we must be prepared for a pleasant separation."

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