The similarities between Jeong Cheong-rae’s reelection strategy and the Lee Jae-myung model

As the competition for the next party leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea heats up in earnest, whether Chairman Jung Cheongrae will serve a second term has emerged as a key variable. This race is intertwined with responsibility for the local elections, the voting intentions of party members, and the relationship with the president, so depending on the outcome, the party's internal landscape could change. According to the article, Chairman Jung is keeping open the possibility of running ahead of the August national convention, and there is a sense that he believes the one person, one vote system, in which fullfledged party members hold a larger share, is advantageous to him. There is also analysis from both inside and outside the party that he is referring to a strategy similar to the one used by Lee Jaemyung, then party leader, when he sought reelection in 2024. However, the current situation is different from 2024. At the time, then party leader Lee Jaemyung challenged for a second term immediately after a landslide victory in the general election, but Chairman Jung is carrying the burden of responsibility following the local elections, leading to criticism that his rationale is weaker. There is also growing interest in how President Lee Jaemyung's de facto support for Prime Minister Kim Minseok will affect Jung's bid for reelection.