Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae posted on his Facebook page on May 2, sharply criticizing the People Power Party’s candidate selections. In the post he wrote, “Is this Yoon Seok-yeol’s return? Yoon’s cronies are all popping their heads up.” He closed with a blunt message: “Shameless ‘Yoon Again’ — the worst nominations. Hold this insurrectionist party to account! Restore normal governance in South Korea! Competent local governments! That is the spirit and goal of the June 3 local elections.”
Analysts interpreted his comments as a direct rebuke of the People Power Party’s picks for the parliamentary by-elections, including former KCC chair Lee Jin-sook (Daegu Dalseong-gun), former lawmaker Lee Yong (Gyeonggi Hanam constituency) and former KCC vice chair Kim Tae-gyu (Ulsan Nam-gu constituency).
The Democratic Party issued a statement the same day, saying the People Power Party’s nominations showed “no reform and only ‘Yoon Again,’” and urging the party to feel ashamed before the public.
Netizens left a wide range of reactions under Jeong’s post. Some reiterated harsh accusations — “Disband the unconstitutional insurrectionist party. The insurrection isn’t over” — while others mocked or criticized Jeong directly.
One user wrote, “Why does ‘know thyself’ come to mind?” Another commented, “I’m tired of your empty calls to disband the insurrectionist party. I liked that pledge and supported you, but I’ve given up seeing you idle all these years.” A different user urged accountability on both sides: “Democratic Party, remember your own nomination problems in South Jeolla. Don’t just attack the other side — fix your own house first.”
