Park Kwang-on, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced that the criteria for selecting standing committee chairs will be newly reviewed, putting the originally designated Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee at risk. In response, Jeong Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, raised his voice, saying he would "definitely defend the Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee."
On the 1st, Jeong, through his social networking service (SNS), stated, "This is not simply a fight over the Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee."
One year ago, during the agreement on the second half of the National Assembly organization, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to alternate the Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee and the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee annually. Accordingly, Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party who previously chaired the Public Administration and Security Committee, took over the Chairmanship of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, but Jeong, who was the Chair of the latter, was unable to assume the Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee.
The reason Jeong could not take the Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee was due to some members, including Ki Dong-min and Heo Young, raising objections about the appointment of standing committee chairs at the party members' meeting held on the 30th of last month. The objections arose because Jeong, who is also a Supreme Council member, holding the Chairmanship was seen as a 'division of vested interests.'
However, Jeong appears to interpret the objections to his Chairmanship as a threat to the 'Pro-Myeong (친명)' leadership. He said, "If Jeong Cheong-rae steps down, the next targeting will be Representative Lee Jae-myung and the leadership," adding, "I will be the lips of the Lee Jae-myung leadership and protect the gums. Even if my lips are cracked, I will not surrender."
On the morning of the same day, Jeong also raised his voice through his YouTube channel 'Jeong Cheong-rae TV,' saying, "It seems impossible to avoid the internal party fight over the Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee," and "I will never bend or break. I absolutely will not give up the Chairmanship of the Public Administration and Security Committee." The day before, he shared the result that more than 10,000 people agreed to a petition on the Democratic Party's National Response Center demanding his appointment as Chair of the Public Administration and Security Committee.
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