Jeong Cheong-rae was elected as the new leader of the Democratic Party of Korea… The first ruling party leader of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

On the 2nd, during the National Party Members Convention held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Jeong Cheong-rae was elected as the new party leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

With a high approval rate of 61.74%, resulting from the combination of votes from party delegates (15%), regular party members (55%), and public opinion polls (30%), the new party leader has been honored as the head of the party.

The newly elected leader will serve as party leader until August next year, taking over the remaining term of former President Lee Jae-myung.

While the duration of his term is only half of the typical party leader's term, it is expected to have significant influence given that he is the first ruling party leader since the establishment of the Lee Jae-myung administration and will have the authority to make nominations in the local elections in June next year.

"Eliminating the insurgent forces comes first"… A strong commitment to reform.

In his speech on the day of his election, the new party leader, Jeong Cheong-rae, characterized the current political situation as being "in a war against insurgents," expressing a hardline stance.

He questioned, "Is it possible to collaborate with the forces that actually attempted to kill President Lee Jae-myung, Jeong Cheong-rae, Park Chan-dae, and Kim Min-seok, as seen in Noh Sang-won's notebook?" He emphasized, "Eliminating the insurgent forces comes before collaboration. Strong leadership is needed during a war against insurgents."

Furthermore, Jeong stated, "There is no victory without a fight, and there is no stability without victory," adding, "I will take on the fights, so the president can focus on his work."

He continued, "I will handle the tough tasks, the difficult matters, and the fights. I will attribute the flowers and fruits of cooperation, integration, and stability to President Lee Jae-myung," expressing his intention to actively support the president's governance.

From democratization movements to a four-term veteran… The political career of Representative Jeong Cheong-rae.

Representative Jeong Cheong-rae is regarded as a strong reformist within the party.

Born in 1965 in Geumsan, Chungcheongnam-do, he graduated from Daejeon Bomoon High School and the Department of Industrial Engineering at Korea University, and earned a master's degree in North Korean unification policy from the Graduate School of Public Policy at Sogang University.

Having participated in the democratization movement during his university years, Representative Jeong has a record of serving two years in prison due to the US Embassy occupation incident in Korea.

Afterward, he entered politics by joining the then-ruling party, the United New Democratic Party, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration while operating a private tutoring academy in his constituency of Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu.

Elected as a member of the 17th National Assembly in 2004, he subsequently won in the 19th, 21st, and 22nd general elections, becoming a veteran with four terms in office.

In the 19th National Assembly, he served as the secretary of the National Assembly's Information Committee and the Safety Administration Committee, and in the 21st National Assembly, he served as the chair of the Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee.

During Lee Jae-myung's tenure as party leader, he served as a Supreme Council member, and after the martial law of December 3, he led the impeachment committee against former President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Additionally, when President Lee Jae-myung ran for the presidential election, he actively participated in the campaign as the joint campaign chair for Gwangju and Jeollanam-do in the alleyways.

Image source: Jeong Cheong-rae, new party leader / News1