Chung Chung-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on Tuesday demanded an apology over Rep. Song Young-gil's remark that Chung had "completely turned his back on former President Roh Moo-hyun and failed to attend even his funeral," calling it "100 percent false." With the next party leadership election approaching, the two leadership candidates clashed head-on, intensifying competition ahead of the national convention.
In a Facebook post titled "Do you really have to go this far?" on the same day, the former leader said, "Rep. Song Young-gil's claim that 'Chung Chung-rae completely turned his back on Roh Moo-hyun and could not even attend the funeral' is 100 percent false."
Earlier in the day, Song appeared on KBS Radio and challenged Chung's recent moves emphasizing his legitimacy as an heir to Roh Moo-hyun, saying, "The former leader cannot do that." He claimed, "The former leader completely turned his back on President Roh Moo-hyun and could not even attend his funeral." He went on to criticize Chung, saying, "If he raises the question of 'Roh Moo-hyun legitimacy' to attack Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, the former leader, of all people, cannot do so."
Song also pointed to Chung's remarks regarding the abolition of supplementary investigation authority, saying, "It seems like an opposition party fighting against the government."
At the same time, Song reaffirmed his determination to run for party leader. "I will gather the views of lawmakers and party members in South Jeolla, Gwangju and North Jeolla," he said. "If the good momentum in Gwangju spreads to South Jeolla, North Jeolla and the metropolitan area, a meaningful result will emerge."
Regarding the possibility of an alliance with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, he said, "An alliance can be formed naturally through a runoff vote," adding, "Rather than an artificial unification, we can compete transparently within the runoff system."
