Jung Chung-rae says his election as party leader will lift Lee's approval rating above 60%

Jung Chung-rae, who is seeking a second term as Democratic Party of Korea leader at the party's Aug. 17 national convention, said Wednesday that he would restore President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating to above 60 percent. "I believe my election will directly translate into a rise in the president's approval rating," he said.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly, Jung said President Lee's approval rating is currently declining. "The public's expectations of a hardworking president have not wavered," he said. "The problem is that the enthusiasm of the core base has cooled."

Jung said he was confident the public would respond with strong support if President Lee returned to the spirit of popular sovereignty and trusted the people. "What's needed right now to lift the president's approval rating is Jung Chung-rae," he said.

He pledged to raise the president's approval rating by more than 10 percentage points and to "reignite the hearts of the traditional core base." He also vowed to pursue internal party unity and broaden the Democratic Party through solidarity with progressive forces, saying he would raise the party's chances of winning the next presidential election.

Jung rebuffed a claim by rival candidate Song Young-gil that the decline in President Lee's approval rating was driven by real estate policy. Jung said the core base — those who say the president is doing "very well" — has become significantly disengaged. "This trend has continued since the June 3 local elections, and the approval rating has been falling in line with it," he said.

Jung added that he commands strong support from that traditional core base. "I predict that the moment I am elected, the approval rating will rise by about 5 percentage points, and within a short time of my serving as party leader, it will climb by around 10 points," he said.

Taking aim at rivals Kim Min-seok and Song, Jung said the two share several things in common — among them, that both ran for Seoul mayor and lost. "I will make sure the party wins the Seoul mayor and Gangneung Assembly member by-elections," he said.