'First Day of Official Campaigning' Jeong Cheongrae Unveils 'May 18 Mockery Punishment Act'... "Eradicate Insurrection"

First Schedule in Seoul
Also Visiting Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong, and Daejeon

On May 21, the official campaign period for the 9th nationwide local elections began, and Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, started his first campaign schedule in Seoul, the most fiercely contested battleground. He partially released the amendment to the Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement, which was prompted by the Starbucks "Tank Day" incident, and brought the issue of judging those responsible for insurrectionist activities to the forefront of his campaign.

Jeong Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the announcement of animal welfare pledges to create a society where humans and animals live happily together held at the National Assembly on May 20, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On this day, Jeong Cheongrae visited the East Seoul Postal Distribution Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, where he encouraged courier workers together with candidate Jeong Wono, and participated in the sorting of parcels from across Seoul on the conveyor belt.

Jeong Cheongrae stated, "I believe we have delivered 'the victory of Jeong Wono as Seoul mayor' today," and added, "Together with the people, we will eradicate the December 3 Martial Law insurrection and deliver a new democracy and a bright, hopeful Republic of Korea on June 3."

At the venue, Jeong Cheongrae released the amendment to the Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement. Regarding the amendment, he explained, "There is widespread public outrage over Starbucks' 'Tank Day' marketing, which is a heinous act. Until now, only the dissemination of false information about May 18 could be punished, but the amendment includes grounds for punishing defamation, insult, and mockery resulting from false information." He further emphasized, "Those who deny history and the dignity of humanity must face just consequences and proper punishment."

Meanwhile, Jeong Cheongrae plans to visit voters nationwide by touring the Seoul metropolitan area, including Dongjak in Seoul and Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, followed by stops in Gongju, Daejeon, and Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province. On the same day, floor leader Han Byungdo will hold a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly in the morning to review policies and pledges, and will then visit North Jeolla Province in the afternoon to support Lee Wontak, the North Jeolla Province governor candidate, among others.

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