"Photo of Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae Smiling with Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol? It's a Misunderstanding Before the Approval of the Arrest Motion"
Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae, who declared his candidacy for the Democratic Party's convention, responded to criticisms from some who refer to him as a 'King Watermelon' (watermelon: outwardly loyal to Lee Jae-myung, but inwardly against him) by saying he feels "unfairly treated."
On the 22nd, Rep. Jeong shared a video of his appearance on the YouTube channel 'Lee Dong-hyung TV' in the current affairs program 'IEEJE' on his Facebook, refuting allegations against him point by point. In the video, he stated, "They call me a King Watermelon, but that is not true at all," and added, "Both outwardly and inwardly, I am filled with genuine loyalty towards President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party."
The scene pointed out by Rep. Jeong occurred on September 21, 2023, the day the National Assembly approved the arrest motion against then-Party Leader Lee Jae-myung.
Rep. Jeong noted, "Someone said, 'A photo of you laughing with Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol was taken. Isn't that a betrayal?'" and indicated that this image serves as the basis for the watermelon frame directed at him.
However, he refuted, "That photo was taken before the voting took place, as I entered the assembly hall asking Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol for help. Claiming that I smiled in joy at the approval is an absurd speculation."
"I Had Meals and Drinks While Asking for Help… I Put in the Most Effort"
Rep. Jeong emphasized that he made various efforts to ensure the disapproval of the arrest motion at that time. "I shared meals and drinks with Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol as part of my persuasion efforts," he said, stressing that he was more actively engaged than anyone else for President Lee.
He continued, "The photo simply shows me laughing as I entered the assembly hall, and it's unfair to label that as a betrayal."
He appealed to the strong supporters, saying, "My loyalty towards President Lee Jae-myung remains unchanged in any situation" and urged them to clear up any misunderstandings.
"Running for Party Leader is the Most Disadvantageous Choice… That’s Why I Do It"
Rep. Jeong also explained the background of his candidacy for the party leader. He shared, "I have been receiving three pieces of advice from those around me lately."
The first is, "Become the party leader now to support President Lee Jae-myung during the initial year of his presidency," the second is, "Don’t bother with a one-year term, but instead aim for a two-year term after one year to secure the rights to nominate candidates for the general elections," and the third is, "Run for the Seoul mayoral election in 2026 to contribute to the re-establishment of the administration."
Regarding this, Rep. Jeong stated, "All three pieces of advice make sense and present choices with public interest value," but added, "In such situations, I follow the judgment criteria of President Roh Moo-hyun." As President Roh said, "Weighing profits and losses, the path of loss is the true public interest," Rep. Jeong explained that he chose to run for the one-year party leader position based on this insight.
Rep. Jeong asserted, "No matter what anyone says, I am a political comrade of President Lee Jae-myung, and I have willingly chosen the path that is most disadvantageous," asking for support.
Image Source: Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae / News1
