정Cheong-rae, the new leader of the Democratic Party, voices support for Rep. Kang Sun-woo amid 'power abuse controversy.'
On the first day of his leadership, Jeong expressed support for Rep. Kang Sun-woo, who had resigned from her candidacy for Minister of Gender Equality and Family over allegations of 'power abuse toward staff and budget-related power abuse' during a call on the 2nd, shortly after the party convention. Jeong emphasized that he provided a lot of comfort and promised to be a source of strength as the party leader.
He continued, “I told her that we would meet soon and encourage each other to perform well in our legislative activities. I will be a strong support for Rep. Kang. Hang in there."
Opposition strongly criticizes: "Is this declaring war against the people?"
In response, Rep. Joo Jin-woo, a candidate for the leadership of the People Power Party, immediately retaliated. Joo shared Jeong's post on Facebook, stating, "The message on Jeong's first day was neither about livelihoods, the economy, nor security," and added, "Jeong promised to be a strong support for Rep. Kang. He should have quelled the public’s anger toward the abused staff and innocent days but went in the opposite direction. In short, he is declaring war against the people."
He stated, "I directly experienced Jeong as the chair of the Legal Affairs Committee. He only pays attention to the hardline supporters of the Democratic Party," pointing out that a differentiated strategy from President Lee Jae-myung has already begun. "President Lee has distanced himself from Kang Sun-woo, but Jeong Cheong-rae sends a message that he will defend her to the end."
Rep. Woo Jae-jun, who is running as a candidate for the Youth Supreme Council of the People Power Party, joined in the criticism. He stated, "The first thing Jeong did after being elected was to console the former ministerial candidate, who fell due to the abuse of power. If I were the leader of the Democratic Party, I would have consoled the abused staff first. I send my sincere comfort to the Democratic Party’s staff."
Previously, various allegations were raised against Rep. Kang, including instructing her staff on procedures such as separating household waste and repairing bidets at home and leading an organized 'bullying' within her office, as well as obstructing the reemployment of dismissed staff.
Furthermore, on the anonymous communication space for National Assembly staff, "Bamboo Forest Next to Yeouido," a post remarked, "Everyone says that the reports on the bidet abuse allegations are 'like a drop in the bucket'," adding, "What's more serious than the abuse is the numerous psychotherapy records for staff caused by relentless abusive texts and shouting that ring every ten minutes."
The situation escalated further when Jeong Young-ae, former Minister of Gender Equality and Family under the Moon Jae-in administration, revealed that Kang abused her power by cutting budgets after failing to resolve local grievances.
As these allegations surfaced, various progressive organizations, women's groups, and even internal criticism grew against Rep. Kang within the Democratic Party.
Ultimately, Kang became the first incumbent lawmaker to experience the disgrace of being dropped from a ministerial candidate position.
Nonetheless, Jeong Cheong-rae publicly expressed his support for Kang right after taking office. This could be interpreted as Jeong prioritizing internal unity within the party, but it seems difficult to avoid criticism for disregarding the victims and the public outcry.
Image sources: Jeong Cheong-rae, new party leader / News1, Joo Jin-woo, member of the People Power Party / News1, Kang Sun-woo, former ministerial candidate / News1, On June 24, Jeong Cheong-rae, who announced his candidacy for the leader of the Democratic Party at the National Assembly in Yeouido, is seen greeting Kang Sun-woo, ministerial candidate, during a party meeting. 2023.6.24 / News1
