Representative Jeong Cheong-rae absent from the presidential send-off ceremony

On the 9th, when President Lee Jaemyung departed to attend the G7 summit, Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chungrae did not attend the sendoff ceremony at Seoul Air Base. It is the first time since Representative Jung took office that the ruling party leader has been absent from a presidential overseas departure. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Kim Minseok, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojung, and Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoonsik. The Presidential Office explained that the number of attendees was reduced in consideration of domestic and international issues, but some inside and outside the party also interpreted this as being linked to subtle tensions between the party and the presidential office over the recent local election review. At a press conference the previous day, President Lee said that the results of the June 3 local elections should be viewed as a problem in some regions where the party lost, and Representative Jung, during the same period, visited Honam to shore up internal public support. In political circles, attention is focused on whether the shift in tone between the two will continue as the race for party leadership intensifies ahead of the Democratic Party convention in August.