Posted on Facebook on the 16th
"Exaggeration of true intent during informal remarks transmission"
Jung Bong-ju, a candidate running for the Democratic Party of Korea's Supreme Council member election, acknowledged that his remark "Lee Jae-myung should not become president" was true but explained that "his true intention was affection for candidate Lee Jae-myung."
Democratic Party of Korea Supreme Council Member candidate Jeong Bong-ju held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the morning of the 12th, expressing concerns about the so-called 'Lee Jae-myung faction.' [Photo by Yonhap News]
On the 16th, Jung wrote on his Facebook, "I am posting this because I need to directly address the questions," adding, "If you ask whether I said 'Candidate Lee Jae-myung should not become president,' yes, I did."
Previously, Park Won-seok, a former Justice Party lawmaker known as a close aide to Jung, revealed on a radio broadcast that Jung was agitated about former leader Lee’s interference in the Supreme Council election, stating, "Lee Jae-myung cannot tolerate even minor criticism. People like that should not become president." Jung, the only candidate for the Supreme Council member outside the National Assembly, led overwhelmingly in the early regional primary rounds, but his support rate plummeted to second place after Kim Min-seok was identified as the so-called 'Myeongshim' (Lee Jae-myung’s inner circle).
Regarding this, Jung said, "There is a long history of working with candidate Lee, built on trust and affection, so I felt hurt wondering why it had to come to this. Also, since my private remarks were conveyed, the true meaning was somewhat exaggerated," but added, "However, my true intention behind those words was solely loyalty to the Democratic Party and affection for candidate Lee."
Jung stated, "What I felt meeting party members was that 'this cannot continue as it is,'" and said, "I could no longer tolerate a very small number of figures playing power games, saying 'I am Lee Jae-myung’s confidant.'" He further pointed out, "That group causes misunderstandings about candidate Lee and creates division and conflict within the party. Those who exploit Lee Jae-myung are ruining our candidate Lee Jae-myung." He explained, "Because of my affection to protect candidate Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s greatest political asset, I could not remain silent."
Jung also sparked backlash from party members by recently insisting at a press conference on the need to eradicate the 'Lee Jae-myung exploiters.' However, in the post on this day, he explained the reason for not revealing exactly who the 'Lee Jae-myung exploiters' refer to, saying, "This too is out of loyalty to the Democratic Party and affection for candidate Lee," and added, "If I disclose specific names, it is obvious that it would cause even greater confusion."
At the end of his post, Jung emphasized again, "If I become a Supreme Council member, I will work seamlessly with the elected leadership to proceed with impeachment and preparations for regime change," and stressed, "Above all, I will prioritize the party reform to eradicate the 'Lee Jae-myung exploiters.'"
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