Democratic Party’s Jeong tours sites as PPP’s Jang wages online fight on holiday

Jeong Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, and Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, took sharply different approaches on May 1, the first day of the holiday period. Jeong spent the day on the ground, while Jang kept no public schedule and continued his attacks on the ruling camp through social media.

Jeong visited the Pyeongtaek Port Vessel Traffic Service Center in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and encouraged staff on duty. He then traveled to South Chungcheong Province, stopping at the Seosan Fire Station, the Seosan City Cultural Center and the Hongseong traditional market.

At the Pyeongtaek center, Jeong said, “We passed a law thinking even public officials should be able to rest on Labor Day, but there are public officials who still can’t.” He added that he visited to “encourage and support those who protect our daily lives through noble work in places we don’t see.”

Jeong’s itinerary was widely seen as aimed at backing Democratic Party candidates ahead of the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections. The inclusion of Pyeongtaek, in particular, was attributed to the area emerging as a battleground as a multi-candidate race takes shape in the by-election there.
  While Jeong visited four locations in a single day — Pyeongtaek, Seosan, Hongseong and Jeonju in North Jeolla Province — Jang posted three messages on Facebook.

On the Dec. 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, Jang wrote, “If they can’t even properly manage the debris, there’s no way the investigation and probe were done properly.” He said it had long been revealed that an embankment installed under a Democratic Party government was the cause of the accident, but that the investigation “remains stalled” and “no one is taking responsibility.”

He added, “The Democratic Party dragged out the Sewol ferry disaster and the Itaewon disaster for years, but is turning away as if the Muan Airport disaster never happened,” calling it “immoral politics” that divides even tragedies into “our side” and “their side.”

Jang also criticized a bill introduced the previous day by the Democratic Party titled the “Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor to Determine the Truth of Allegations Including Manipulated Investigations and Manipulated Indictments by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.” He wrote, “Now that he has become president, he is rushing in saying he will cancel indictments and erase all trials,” calling it “a betrayal of the people” and “outright robbery.”

On Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young, Jang wrote, “It is outrageous that Minister Jeong sees ‘unification as violent.’” He added, “Anti-American, pro-North Korea and pro-China tendencies are deeply embedded in the DNA of President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party. The public must stay alert and judge them.”

Jang is scheduled to attend the opening of campaign offices for Park Hyung-joon, a Busan mayoral candidate, on May 2, and Choo Kyung-ho, a Daegu mayoral candidate, on May 3. However, he is not expected to join on-the-ground stumping. Party chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said the decision reflected a strategic judgment that adding unnecessary events after the openings could reduce attention focused on the candidates.