3 contenders, 3 leadership styles compete in DPK chair race
The race to lead the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is taking shape as a three-way contest after party chair Jung Chung-rae stepped down Wednesday to seek another term, setting up an expected showdown with outgoing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and veteran lawmaker Song Young-gil. All three have cast themselves as supporters of the Lee Jae Myung administration. Their political strengths, however, are markedly different. Each is appealing to different factions within the ruling party — Jung to its activist base, Kim to lawmakers seeking close coordination with Cheong Wa Dae and Song to those looking for an alternative should the race extend beyond the first round. Jung, the party man Jung enters the race with perhaps the strongest organizational backing. “No matter what anyone says, I will stand by President Lee Jae Myung until the very end,” Jung said as he announced his resignation as party chair. “Lee and I share a political community and a destiny.” His remarks followed weeks of speculation about tensions with the presidential office. Differences over the pace of prosecut
