Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Wednesday that "on the night of the Dec. 3 emergency martial law insurrection, we crossed the line of life and death together with the camaraderie of comrades," urging the party to "unite and join forces for the success of the Lee Jae-myung government and the return of power, with the sentiment of that night."
However, Jung remained tight-lipped, avoiding specific answers on resignation demands raised within the party and whether he would seek another term.
At a forum held at the National Assembly members' office building marking the first anniversary of the Lee Jae-myung government, Jung said, "We must reflect well on the historical lesson that we won when united and lost when divided." He added, "The Democratic Party must rally tightly around President Lee Jae-myung."
On the first year of the Lee Jae-myung government, Jung gave high praise, saying it was "a process of restoring democracy, the economy, and crisis-ridden inter-Korean relations to normalcy, all of which had collapsed during three years of the Yoon Suk-yeol prosecutorial dictatorship." He continued, "With the KOSPI breaking through 8,000 during intraday trading, the conclusion of Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, and exports surpassing $700 billion, national competitiveness shone even amid the crisis of war in the Middle East."
He added, "The president conducted summit diplomacy more than 90 times with leaders from over 50 countries, and opened a new era of communication through town hall meetings and other events." He said, "In line with the president's resolve, the Democratic Party will firmly support the government with a strong sense of responsibility and urgency to change the lives of the people." At the same time, he urged, "We must keep in mind the public sentiment shown in the June 3 local elections, and breathe together with the people in a humbler posture."
Meanwhile, after the forum ended, when Jung met with reporters in a background briefing and was asked about his position on the leadership resignation demands raised at the general meeting of lawmakers that morning, he avoided answering, saying, "I heard you well."
Regarding the rumor of a "resignation at the end of this month," he only said, "I heard that well too." When asked whether he would seek another term at the party convention, he avoided an immediate answer, saying, "Let each person judge for themselves."
