Watermelon? "I also failed at watermelon farming"… Jeong Cheong-rae's cheerful counterattack with a 'giant watermelon photo'

Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the National Assembly who is running for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, responded to the 'watermelon' (a derogatory term aimed at the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction) attacks from some strong party members in a cheerful manner.

He shared a photograph holding a 12kg giant watermelon he harvested himself, asking, "Why would I walk the difficult path of watermelon?"

"I also failed at the difficult giant watermelon farming"

On the 13th, Jeong posted on his Facebook with the title "Giant watermelon is the best on a hot summer day," sharing his past experience with watermelon farming. He recalled that after being cut off from nominations during the 20th National Assembly elections in 2016, he formed a campaign team with the mindset of "the party abandoned me, but I will protect the party" and traveled across the nation.

After the elections, feeling despondent, he immersed himself in farming and explained, "The giant watermelon I harvested then weighed 12kg, and after that one success, I have been failing consistently. Watermelon farming is far more difficult than I thought."

"How could I be a giant watermelon?" Direct message

In his post, Jeong stated, "From my experience, growing giant watermelons is difficult, and it’s also hard to become one." He dismissed the name-calling from anonymous attacks, saying, "I can clearly say, I am not a watermelon."

He added, "There are people stressed about the party convention, and it's hot, making it tough; let’s split a watermelon and share it coolly," emphasizing that "let's enjoy the party convention like a festival with laughter." Jeong urged strong party members to exercise restraint amid excessive attacks.

"It may seem like I’m unjustly being attacked by factional forces"

Recently, Jeong revealed that while competing against Park Chan-dae, who is also in the leadership race, he is facing criticism and being labeled as a 'watermelon' by some strong supporters.

On CBS radio on the 24th of last month, he stated, "If they call me a watermelon, who would recognize that? Rather, it might give the impression that 'Jeong Cheong-rae is unjustly being attacked by factional forces.'"

There are analyses suggesting that a video in which Jeong expressed his dislike for then-Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung back in 2018, stating "When Lee Jae-myung speaks, it causes disturbances. I just dislike it," has become the background of the recent attacks.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Choi Min-hee, who publicly supports Jeong, has also reported receiving a barrage of messages from strong party members, revealing that conflicts among supporters within the party are surfacing ahead of the convention.

Image source: Jeong Cheong-rae / News1, News1