Park Soohyun: "Jung Chungrae in Daily Contact with Presidential Office... No Media Interviews, So Is This 'Personal Politics'?"

"Party, Government, and Presidential Office in Close Communication... Representative Jung in Daily Contact with Presidential Office"
"Representative Jung Focused on Supporting President Lee in Early Term"
Explains Reason for Avoiding Media Interviews

Park Suhyun, the chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a press briefing held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 12th, one day before the 2025 National Assembly inspection. Photo by Yonhap News

Park Soohyun, the chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, addressed and corrected misunderstandings that have been solidifying as facts regarding Representative Jung Chungrae. The main point is that since taking office, Representative Jung has focused entirely on helping President Lee Jaemyung establish his administration during its early days, to the extent that he has not given a single media interview, and that he maintains close daily communication with the government.

On the 12th, Park Soohyun stated through his social networking service (SNS) that he wanted to set the record straight regarding misunderstandings about Representative Jung.

Park said, "Let me start by talking about Jung Chungrae's so-called 'personal politics.' Representative Jung often asks the party leadership and his aides, 'Am I engaging in personal politics right now?' The very fact that he asks this question so frequently shows that he is constantly reflecting on himself."

He added that the fact Representative Jung has not given a single media interview since taking office is consistent with this approach. Park recounted, "I asked Representative Jung, 'Sir, is there any party leader who doesn't do interviews? Is this just a personal matter for Jung Chungrae? I'm telling you this even if it means I might have to resign as chief spokesperson.' To this, Representative Jung replied, 'Of course, I understand why this is difficult for you. The reason I am declining interviews is because it is the early stage of the President's term.'"

Park continued, "During the early days of the President's term, when it is crucial that the President's philosophy and governance are understood by the public and civil servants, imagine how inappropriate it would be if the party leader's interviews were featured prominently in newspapers and on television every day. Representative Jung said that after some time has passed, he will do interviews, and asked me to explain this clearly to the media."

"The party, government, and presidential office are in close communication... Representative Jung is in contact with the presidential office every day"

Park also dismissed the misunderstanding that Representative Jung is acting independently or recklessly without coordination with the party, government, and presidential office, saying, "That is completely untrue."

Park explained, "Regarding this issue, I have always said that the party, government, and presidential office are in close communication. In particular, Representative Jung communicates with the presidential office almost every day. I am well aware that such statements from the chief spokesperson can be very risky, as it could lead to criticism such as 'Is the party just an outpost of Yongsan?' However, I decided to make public the fact that we communicate daily because framing the situation as a 'party-government disagreement' would be even more dangerous than any expected criticism."

Park also expressed regret that domestic political issues arose while President Lee Jaemyung was recently on a diplomatic schedule. He said, "Going forward, the Democratic Party will carefully consider such matters as well," and emphasized, "In the end, it is not true that the Democratic Party is acting independently without coordination with the government and presidential office. As one team, we will push forward with bold yet meticulous, swift yet calm reforms and bring them to completion."

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