Jung Cheong-rae: 'The People Are Eternal, and the Regime Is Short-lived'

Jung Cheong-rae, the leader of the Democratic Party, commented on the results of the June 3 local elections, stating, "I empathize with President Lee's evaluation and perception of the elections," while emphasizing, "The people are eternal, and the regime is short-lived."

During a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on June 10, Jung remarked, "Public sentiment is the will of heaven, and the people are like the sky. No regime can defeat the people." This statement follows President Lee's remarks during a press conference on June 8, where he expressed dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party leadership, saying, "If we lost in places we needed to win, that is at least not a success."

Jung added, "The saying that those who follow the will of heaven will prosper, while those who go against it will perish, has always been true," and pledged that the Democratic Party and the Lee administration would adopt a humble approach to win the hearts of the people.

He further noted, "What I have felt over the past 24 years is that the opposition party gains support when it acts like an opposition party, and the ruling party gains support when it acts like a ruling party. While there are swing voters, there is no fixed centrist group."

Identifying himself as a member of the 'Noh Mu-hyun Supporters' from 2002, he recalled, "I supported candidate Noh Mu-hyun, dreaming of a country where common sense flows like a river, holding a hope piggy bank and a yellow handkerchief in Gwangju, where beans are beans in Daegu as well."

He also credited the regional primary system introduced by former President Noh in 2004 for his election to the National Assembly, stating, "The political reforms of the Noh Mu-hyun era ended the era of faction bosses and parachute nominations, leading to a system of one person, one vote and party member sovereignty."