Jung Chung-rae claims Gangwon, TK comeback, then loses again; reversal of remarks sparks controversy

Jung shared his position on the situation in which Kim took the lead right after the Jeju and Incheon contests.

He said he was sincerely grateful to the rank-and-file party members who gave him their support despite the margin being less than one point.

Jung Chung-rae expressed strong confidence that he would reverse the outcome in the upcoming Gangwon and Daegu-Gyeongbuk contests. He claimed that false smears against him were widespread, and said that in Jeju the rank-and-file members had put up a tremendous fight so he lost by less than expected, while in Incheon, given the alliance between Song Young-gil and Kim Min-seok, his high vote share was itself a miracle.

He projected that because party members in these regions are projecting their desire for reform onto him, he would post good results in the next contest and expressed confidence.

Jung Chung-rae said it was a great relief that he lost by this margin in this contest. He claimed that he performed respectably even though nearly all media and broadcast panels were backing the other two candidates by roughly 9 to 1. He was convinced that rank-and-file members, feeling a sense of crisis and urgency, would deliver a comeback victory in Honam, Seoul, and Gyeonggi.

Jung Chung-rae explained his Jeju loss by saying that Kim Min-seok's side, which is close to Lee Jae-myung, had systematically managed the rank-and-file members, and that he fought an uphill battle and performed respectably. On Incheon, he claimed he performed well despite it being Song Young-gil's home turf. However, he had expressed strong confidence that in Gangwon and Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK), no matter how the two candidates joined forces, they could not beat him, yet the actual results showed he lost there as well.

The segment highlighted how Jung Chung-rae's remarks changed within a single day, as if he flipped his hand over. Although he had claimed that in Gangwon and the TK region he would surely win even if the two candidates allied, after the actual loss his position shifted to saying he 'expected to lose by even more.' The panel pointed to this change in his remarks and questioned his assessment of the Gangwon and TK defeat.

He explained that it was difficult even to arrange party member gatherings with lawmakers, regional committee chairs, or non-incumbent committee chairs, and that all party members did was voluntarily organize gatherings and present policies. He then expressed delight at news that he had won in Daegu, a region where he had expected to lose heavily.

He had asserted yesterday that it wouldn't matter if the two candidates allied in Gangwon, Daegu, and Gyeongbuk (TK), but after today's defeat he said he 'expected to lose by even more,' which the panel criticized as an implicit admission that his earlier statement had been false. The panel said Jung seemed to live only for the moment, and stressed that the head of the ruling party should look to the future rather than behave like a mayfly.

The panel strongly criticized Jung Chung-rae for reversing his remarks within a day. If he was going to flip what he said today, he should have been careful yesterday and kept it to something like 'I hope for a good result tomorrow.' The panel also argued that if yesterday's remarks did not match the results, he should explain why, but simply saying 'I expected to lose by even more' amounts to Jung himself refuting what he said yesterday, which greatly undermines a candidate's credibility. The panel warned that if this behavior continues, supporters will not believe whatever he says from now on.