Jung Chung-rae calls Lee Jae Myung 'comrade and fellow soldier,' urges party unity

By Yang Geun-hyuk, The Herald Business

Jung Chung-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, posted an essay on his Facebook page Sunday under the title "Proposals for the success of the Lee Jae Myung government and recapturing power — unity and solidarity," calling on party members to "unite and move forward together for the success of the Lee Jae Myung government, victory in the general election, and recapturing power."

Jung, a leading contender for the party leadership, wrote that "unity has brought victory, and division has brought defeat," adding that President Lee often stressed cohesion by asking, "No matter how great the differences among us, can they really be greater than those of our opponents?"

He also said Lee had emphasized popular sovereignty with the words, "Politics may seem like something politicians do, but ultimately it is the people who do it." Jung said he was reflecting on what he described as Lee's spirit of "restraining the strong, supporting the weak, and uniting as one."

Jung wrote that he had "respected President Kim Dae-jung, loved President Roh Moo-hyun, and liked President Moon Jae-in," and that he and President Lee had broken through the oppression of what he called the "Yoon Suk Yeol prosecutorial dictatorship" as comrades and fellow soldiers. "On the night of the Dec. 3 illegal emergency martial law insurrection, I climbed over the wall of the National Assembly with my life on the line," he wrote.

He added that he had stood by Lee's side to protect him against what he described as the Yoon government's efforts to suppress the opposition and eliminate political rivals. "I think of the devastation when the motion to approve the arrest of then-Democratic Party leader Lee Jae Myung passed during the Yoon Suk Yeol prosecutorial dictatorship era, the shaking rage of the Dec. 3 emergency martial law, and the camaraderie of crossing that line of death together shoulder to shoulder," he wrote. "I hope we can occasionally take a deep breath and look up at the clear sky."

Jung stressed the need for unity, saying "integration and solidarity are essential for the success of the Lee Jae Myung government and recapturing power." He described the progressive camp's leadership succession as a relay race — from Kim Dae-jung to Roh Moo-hyun to Moon Jae-in to Lee Jae Myung.

He called for what he termed "four-way integration" among supporters of the four former and current presidents, saying "internal unity is urgent" and that their supporters "have been comrades who have walked together in the same direction until now."

Jung also called for broad progressive solidarity, saying all pro-democracy and progressive forces capable of joining hands must unite for the Lee government to succeed and for the party to recapture power, and that a runoff voting system should be introduced if necessary. "All must unite — except those who support the insurrection and back 'Yoon Again' — to win the general election and the presidential election," he wrote.

He added that the June 3 local elections had also shown that "solidarity brought victory and division brought defeat."

Jung particularly stressed that "we must stop using language of mockery, hatred, and contempt even within our own ranks," urging members to "discard the language of division and instead use the language of comradeship and consideration."

He said he would personally "use the language of warm and close solidarity," recalling that party members had respected Kim Dae-jung, loved Roh Moo-hyun, and liked Moon Jae-in. "We are comrades who built that foundation and brought President Lee and the Lee Jae Myung government into being," he wrote. "We were originally of one root, and we have been comrades walking together in the same direction."