According to political sources on June 6, internal dissent within the Democratic Party is growing against Jeong's leadership. The upcoming party convention in August is expected to influence the leadership race, especially with the potential candidacy of Kim Min-seok, the Prime Minister.
Former Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok publicly criticized Jeong, declaring a fight against his leadership. On June 3, he stated, "Now that the voting is over, I will dedicate everything to removing Jeong. The arrogant party leader has deeply hurt the people of Honam. I will unite to demand a leadership change that reflects the voices of Honam residents."
Kim Kwan-young, who ran as an independent after disputing the results of the Jeonbuk gubernatorial primary, also voiced his discontent after the election results were announced on June 4. He remarked, "This election was a contest between the people of Jeonbuk and Jeong Cheong-rae's leadership. The Democratic Party does not belong to Jeong. We must hold accountable the Jeong faction for the unfair nominations."
On the same day, lawmaker Song Young-gil appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and emphasized the importance of the party leadership for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, stating, "We will evaluate the leadership at the party convention."
Calls for Jang Dong-hyuk's resignation are also intensifying within the People Power Party. Pro-Han lawmakers are urging him to take responsibility for the poor election results.
Supreme Council member Woo Jae-jun stated on June 5 during YTN Radio's 'Jang Seong-cheol's News Myungdang' that, "It is difficult to evaluate that the leadership significantly helped in this local election. Many candidates probably know this, and the leadership must reflect on it deeply. It is appropriate to take responsibility accordingly."
Woo suggested that Jang should step down to help resolve internal conflicts, stating, "If Jang continues to hold on, the conflicts will not be resolved. It would be better for him to step down and hold a proper party convention to receive an evaluation, which would help us think about the future direction of our party."
Lawmaker Park Jeong-hoon also called for the entire Jang leadership to resign, pointing out, "There were hardly any incumbents among the metropolitan mayors. Despite the incumbency advantage, eight incumbents lost, which is a significant defeat." He added, "If a confidence vote were held now, I believe Jang would lose. Party members will question whether we can win the next general election with Jang's face leading us."
Even lawmakers not aligned with the pro-Han faction have supported calls for Jang's accountability. Lawmaker Choi Hyung-doo remarked, "This election showed failures from both the ruling and opposition parties. Both sides were told that their leaders did not help in the elections and should stay away." Lawmaker Kim Tae-ho warned that while the local elections provided an opportunity for conservatives, the current direction cannot restore trust, urging Jang to pave the way for conservative unity and reconstruction.
Meanwhile, Jang has distanced himself from the resignation calls and has begun a campaign outside the party, likely to rally support by highlighting the 'shortage of ballots' issue that arose during the election process. In contrast, the party's floor leader Song Eon-seok and policy committee chairman Jeong Jeom-sik expressed their intention to resign the previous day, stating, "Our party also needs a fresh start." As pressure mounts from all sides for Jang to resign, it remains to be seen whether he can continue in his leadership role.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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