Democratic Party of Korea Chair Chung Cheong-rae expressed strong support Wednesday for President Lee Jae-myung's criticism of Israel's human rights violations, saying he "strongly supports President Lee's stance on world peace and human dignity, a universal value of humanity." Chung said he found it "regrettable" that the Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized the president's remarks and that opposition parties and media raised concerns about potential diplomatic fallout.
"The Republic of Korea's foreign policy should not become a subject of political strife," Chung said at the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly.
"The Pope has also stated that threats against the entire Iranian people are unacceptable and that attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law and are a sign of hatred and destruction," Chung said. "Korea has now risen to a position where we can declare our own independent stance on world peace. I strongly support President Lee's position, which will mark a milestone in the history of Korean diplomacy."
He added that he found it "regrettable that some made inappropriate comments questioning President Lee's position."
President Lee had shared a video on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday purportedly showing Israeli Defense Forces dropping a Palestinian child from a rooftop, writing that "there is no difference between the Jewish Holocaust and wartime killings." The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded the following day, calling the remarks "unacceptable" and "strongly condemning" them. President Lee countered that he was "disappointed that they don't take a moment to reflect on criticism from people around the world who are suffering from constant anti-human rights and anti-international law actions." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also weighed in on its official X account, saying it "regrets that [the Israeli Foreign Ministry] misunderstood the intent of the post and rebutted it."
Meanwhile, Chung addressed the ongoing nomination process for the June 3 local elections, saying, "We will proceed with nominations for the National Assembly by-elections around the time the local election nominations are finalized." He added, "Strategic nominations are the principle for by-elections, and we will do our best to nominate candidates in all districts and win in all districts. We will also not neglect recruiting talent from outside and discovering and nurturing talent from within the party." Chung's mention of "recruiting external talent" is interpreted as a reference to Ha Jung-woo, the Blue House Senior Secretary for AI and Future Planning, who has been rumored to run in Busan's Buk-gap district.
Chung also shared his impressions from a two-day weekend visit to Gangwon Province, saying, "The warmth I felt from residents who view the Democratic Party favorably was encouraging. A blue wind has begun blowing in Gangwon Province. We will create a blue wave across the nation and achieve victory." He added, "At times like this, we must meet the people with even greater humility. I ask all Democratic Party candidates across the country to lower themselves and speak and act at the people's level. We will take firm action against anything that makes the people frown."
