Jeong Cheongrae Visits Jang’s District: “What Did He Do in the U.S.? Diplomatic Disaster”

On-site Supreme Council Meeting Held in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do on the 20th
Jeong Shares Experience in Parliamentary Diplomacy from 2014
"People Power Party Should Not Work Separately"

Chung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on April 20 regarding Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, who returned to Korea after a ten-day visit to the United States. He said, "Since he was already in the United States, I had quietly hoped he would play a role in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. It's disappointing that he wasn't able to achieve more."

Chung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, attended the on-site Supreme Council meeting held on the 20th at Boryeong Mud Theme Park in Chungnam, where he mentioned his own parliamentary diplomatic experience and criticized Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, for his visit to the United States. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At the on-site Supreme Council meeting held that day at Boryeong Mud Theme Park in Boryeong, Chungnam, Chung stated, "What did the leader of the largest opposition party do during his long stay in the United States? Ordinary tourists might take 'proof shots' in front of the White House, but that's not the case when it comes to parliamentary diplomacy." He made these remarks while mentioning his own diplomatic experience as a lawmaker.

He continued, "As someone who has engaged in parliamentary diplomacy in the United States, I cannot understand his actions. He reportedly met with the Assistant Secretary of State, but only photos of his back were shown. He should have met with the Chair or Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee or the Chair of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. This is a diplomatic fiasco."

Previously, in January 2014, when he was a secretary on the Intelligence Committee, Chung visited the home of former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg to discuss the issue of visiting North Korea. Donald Gregg was the U.S. Ambassador at the time when Chung staged a sit-in at the ambassador’s residence in October 1989. In addition, Chung has met with secretaries of the Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Committee as well as former and current chairs of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Chung stated, "Fundamentally, the basic principle of opposition party diplomacy is to serve as a lever without deviating from government policy. Since we are in (Jang's) hometown, I would like to say that for the development of Chungnam, it would be better to cooperate with the government and the ruling party, rather than taking a 'separate path'."

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