Rep. Song Young-gil, considered a contender for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, signaled his intention to run in the party convention. He predicted that an alliance with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, a leading leadership contender, could form through a runoff vote. Regarding former party leader Jung Chung-rae's emphasis on the legitimacy of former President Roh Moo-hyun, Song sharpened his criticism, saying Jung "could not even attend the funeral."
Asked on KBS Radio Monday whether he would run in the party convention, Song said, "The members' will is important, so I plan to organize town hall meetings throughout South Jeolla, Gwangju and North Jeolla to gather the views of lawmakers and members."
On his rising approval rating as a Democratic Party leader candidate in recent polls, Song said, "Members seem to have trust, saying, 'When we look at Song Young-gil, there is stability. And there is content. He will clearly be a support to President Lee Jae-myung.'" He added, "It is important that I am ranking first in Gwangju, and if this spreads to South Jeolla and North Jeolla, and also to the metropolitan area, I think meaningful poll results will emerge."
Regarding unification with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Song said, "Wouldn't an alliance form through a runoff vote?" He added, "I can't say for certain, but since our party has adopted a runoff system, I think transparent competition will suffice." This means that even without an artificial unification, a natural alliance could form during the runoff process.
On former leader Jung's recent moves that appear to claim him as a successor to former President Roh Moo-hyun, Song said, "Former leader Jung cannot do that." He added, "Former leader Jung completely turned his back on President Roh Moo-hyun and could not even attend his funeral." He criticized further, "If someone raises 'Roh Moo-hyun legitimacy' to attack Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, others might, but former leader Jung cannot do that." On Jung pressuring the government over abolishing supplementary investigation authority, Song said, "It seems like an opposition party fighting against the government."
