Kim Minseok Criticizes Jeong Cheongrae: Intense Political Standoff Between the Two ["Sisa Show"]

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Prime Minister Kim Minseok and Democratic Party of Korea leader Jeong Cheongrae are engaged in a game of janggun-monggun, a back-and-forth power struggle. An invisible contest of strength is in full swing. It is all about the run-up to the party convention in August this year. The "August convention" carries significance that goes beyond who becomes party leader; it will reshape the power landscape within the ruling camp. If Jeong is successfully re-elected, his political clout will grow even stronger than it is now. His standing within the ruling bloc would naturally rise as well, because he would hold the power to decide nominations for the 2028 general election. If Prime Minister Kim Minseok becomes party leader, there is a strong possibility that a "Lee Jaemyung-centered single-pole system" will take shape. Kim, who relies on the pro-Lee Jaemyung faction, has a political fate that cannot be separated from President Lee Jaemyung.

Prime Minister Kim Minseok appearing on the YouTube channel SamproTV released on the 27th. Screenshot from SamproTV.

In an interview released on the YouTube channel SamproTV on the 27th, Prime Minister Kim said, "I have long been an advocate of broad democratic unity, but I did not know it would be announced that way on that day. At this point in time, the way it was raised has caused controversy." His remarks that day directly reflected the mood among the current mainstream forces in the ruling camp. Within the ruling bloc, there is an undercurrent of discontent that says, "We agree on the need for a merger between the Democratic Party of Korea and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, but why of all times now, and why handle it in a way that makes it look like the leader is making a unilateral decision without prior consultation?" There is distrust that Jeong may be engaging in politics for his own sake. Prime Minister Kim’s words subtly poked at one of Jeong’s sore spots. At the same time, regarding the so-called "party-Blue House conflict" narrative that Jeong is out of sync with President Lee Jaemyung on key policies, Kim said, "It is merely a difference in problem-solving style. The framing is excessive."

Prime Minister Kim is being mentioned as a strong contender for party leader at the Democratic Party of Korea convention in August. He does not deny it himself. Reaffirming that he will not run for Seoul mayor by saying, "When I became prime minister, I made up my mind," he also confessed that "becoming leader of the Democratic Party of Korea is something to be very proud of, so of course I have that aspiration." Last year, Prime Minister Kim visited the Honam region several times under the pretext of inspecting flood-damaged sites and paying his respects at the May 18th National Cemetery. Recently, under the banner of the "K-National Policy Briefing," he has been touring the country. He has already visited Seoul, Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Sacheon in South Gyeongsang Province, and Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, and on February 11 he will visit Jeju. His visit to Washington and New York in the United States from the 22nd to the 26th, where he met figures including U.S. Vice President Vance, has also been interpreted as an attempt to "raise his profile." It was the first time in 41 years that a prime minister visited the United States alone since Prime Minister Roh Shinyoung in 1985. The "K-National Policy Briefing" and the U.S. visit both hint at President Lee’s consideration for Prime Minister Kim.

Prime Minister Kim Minseok (left) and Jung Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (right), are greeting mourners at the wake for Lee Haechan, Senior Vice Chair of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, held at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on January 27, 2026. Photo by Joint Press Photographers

Jeong, for his part, has played a high-stakes card by pushing for a merger between the Democratic Party of Korea and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party. While criticism of the timing and manner is loud, there are relatively few voices opposing the merger itself. If Jeong successfully completes the merger and wins the local elections, his position will become even more solid. If the merger fails and Jeong’s leadership is shaken, Prime Minister Kim’s room to maneuver could expand. In terms of the party leadership, the two have entered into an antagonistic relationship in which one person’s rise means the other’s decline.

The subtle shifts between the two can be sensed elsewhere as well. Kim Eojun, who is known to be close to Jeong, said on his YouTube channel "Kim Eojun’s Humility is Hard, News Factory" on the 26th that he was rejecting a request from the Prime Minister’s Office to "exclude Prime Minister Kim Minseok from the Seoul mayor opinion poll," saying, "It is their freedom to ask us to take him out, but whether to include him or not is for us to decide." In political circles, some interpret this as an attempt to weaken Kim’s competitiveness by showing that he does not overwhelmingly outpace other candidates in Seoul mayoral polls. The fact that the two men stood vigil from morning to evening at the funeral hall of former Prime Minister Lee Haechan has also drawn attention. On the surface, it appears to be an act of mourning for former Prime Minister Lee, regarded as a "godfather of the progressive camp," but viewed differently, it can also be seen as one form of "party leadership contest."

The fact that "pro-Lee Jaemyung" lawmaker Han Junho directly attacked Jeong by saying, "The very actions of leader Jeong Cheongrae have aroused suspicion," shows that the offensive by the pro-Lee Jaemyung camp against Jeong is becoming increasingly sharp. The battle for party leadership within the Democratic Party of Korea is already underway.