Jung Jin-seok Joins Criticism of Ahn Cheol-soo... "Candidates Seeking Attention Will Alienate Party Members"

Mentioning 'Some Candidates' and Issuing a 'Stern Warning'
"Hope They Exercise Self-Restraint"

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong and Kim Youngwon] Jeong Jin-seok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, expressed his view on the party convention on the 6th, stating, "If a candidate prioritizes making their presence known without sacrifice, party members will turn their backs first." This is interpreted as targeting Ahn Cheol-soo, the party leader candidate who emphasized the 'Ahn-Yoon Alliance' (Ahn Cheol-soo and Yoon Seok-yeol alliance) and was criticized by the Presidential Office.

Chairman Jeong said at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, "This party convention should be about who will bear the cross of infinite responsibility and make the Yoon Seok-yeol government successful, rather than who will become the leader of the People Power Party."

Jin Jeong-seok, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

He continued, "Our party even amended the party constitution to elect the party leadership with 100% of the party member electorate to successfully support the Yoon Seok-yeol government, which was born by the hands of party members, with the power of party members," emphasizing, "The role of the ruling party is not the greed for control of state affairs but infinite responsibility to take charge of any matter."

Chairman Jeong explained, "This infinite responsibility is a value that all candidates preparing for the next party leader must keep in mind," adding, "As the Emergency Response Committee Chairman, I felt the value of infinite responsibility was so significant that I did not even have the leisure to consider any personal or political greed under this value."

He also said, "All party members are watching," and "Party members themselves are waiting for a leader who will sacrifice and achieve a complete regime change in next year's general election."

After the Emergency Response Committee meeting that day, in a meeting with reporters, Chairman Jeong said, "There were concerns that as the election campaign began, an overheated situation between candidate camps was emerging," and added, "I hope the candidates will exercise self-restraint and engage in election campaigns that contribute solely to the future of the party."

Chairman Jeong also stated, "In particular, I believe any intentional attempt to involve the president or the Presidential Office in the intra-party election should be refrained from," and said, "Some candidates, though I hesitate to mention names, keep invoking malicious frames such as 'traitors' or 'Yoon core group' and are making the election atmosphere excessively heated and chaotic. I hope they will restrain themselves. If this goes too far, we clearly warn that we will take appropriate measures."

It is known that Lee Jin-bok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs of the Presidential Office, visited the National Assembly the previous day to request Chairman Jeong to issue a stern warning to candidate Ahn.