Mud-slinging marks Democratic Party convention race as Shincheonji claims, Roh legacy battle heat up

The Democratic Party of Korea's regional primary circuit for its Aug. 17 national convention has entered its second week, with the race for party leader descending into a war of personal attacks.

At a joint campaign speech in Jeju on Saturday, candidate Kim Min-seok called for unity, saying he would "make a definitive start toward bringing all primary-related conflicts within the party to absolute zero" if elected party leader.

Candidate Jung Chung-rae fired back, targeting Kim's repeated allegations that the religious group Shincheonji had interfered in the convention. "The proper order is to apologize first, then talk about unity," Jung said, adding that if he became party leader, he would push for an ethics investigation to prove that "Shincheonji has nothing whatsoever to do with the Democratic Party."

Kim had doubled down on the allegations Thursday on "Gyeomsoneur Himdeulda News Factory," a YouTube program hosted by broadcaster Kim Ou-joon. "I'm someone who predicted the martial law declaration — do you think I would have raised this without anything to go on?" Kim said. "I believe I have more than enough grounds to raise the issue."

Jung called Kim's Shincheonji allegations "an act of attacking the party itself" and "the most malicious claim to have dragged the convention into the mud."

A separate dispute over who can claim the true political legacy of late President Roh Moo-hyun has also flared up.

After Jung invoked "Nosamo" — the fan club of supporters devoted to Roh — to appeal for votes, Kim's camp argued that Jung had never been a core figure in the group. Choi Min-hee, a supreme council candidate aligned with Jung, shot back, saying Jung was "the real Nosamo" and suggesting that Nosamo could stand for "Ban-Kim Min-seok" — a play on the Korean word for opposition.

The person known by the online handle "Dalbaragi," who served as the last leader of Nosamo, issued a statement Thursday calling on the candidates to "stop tarnishing the Nosamo name."

"It is political deception for factions that once stood in direct opposition to Nosamo to now present themselves as representing the entire organization for their own political purposes," the statement read. It added that "not even 1 percent of Nosamo's legitimacy belongs to the political actions of those from certain splinter factions."

Following the joint speech event in Incheon on Saturday afternoon, the results of the Jeju and Incheon member votes — conducted Aug. 4 through Aug. 7 — are set to be announced.