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| Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a National Assembly meeting in this April 2021, photo. Korea Times file |
DPK leader denies allegation that he pressured Rep. Jung to quit
By Jung Da-min
An outspoken lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Jung Chung-rae disclosed Wednesday that he was pressured to leave the party against his will but decided to stand his ground. Recently, the three-term lawmaker said he had an unexpected visitor, whom he called "Mr. Lee's core associate," derived from "Mr. Yoon's core associate," which refers to a confidant of the main opposition People Power Party's candidate, Yoon Suk-yeol.
Without giving specific information about the individual, Jung said the man was a point man sent by DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung for the special mission of persuading the lawmaker to quit the party to allay Buddhists who were irritated over his previous remarks that allegedly derided Buddhism and those who are affiliated with the religion.
Rep. Jung Chung-rae, a three-term lawmaker of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is facing growing pressure to leave the party, over a continued backlash from Buddhists who have criticized Chung for his previous remarks accusing Haeinsa Temple of "unjustly" collecting admission fees.
Rep. Jung has said that he faced calls from some close aides of Lee Jae-myung to leave the party to boost the chances of a Lee victory in the presidential election, slated for March 9.
"I was told that the backlash from Buddhists over my previous remarks was serious and is feared to deal a blow to Lee's presidential campaign. He encouraged me to consider leaving the party," the lawmaker wrote on social media.
He said that he had no plan to do so, noting that he didn't quit the party even when he was eliminated from the selection of lawmakers to run in the National Assembly election.
"I confronted him and told him that in my dictionary, there are no such words as 'divorce' or 'defection,' and sent him packing. I made it clear that I won't leave the party," he wrote.
DPK candidate Lee denied the allegation. Asked to confirm Rep. Jung's remarks about the unspecified confidant, Lee said he knows nothing about what the lawmaker said, and thus there's nothing for him to comment on.
During a National Assembly audit of the Cultural Heritage Administration held in early October of last year, Jung, a member of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, compared the heritage administration to a fictional con man, named Bongi Kim Seon-dal, from Korean folklore. The fictional figure uses a fraudulent scheme to make a fortune by selling river water, which was a free resource. Jung used the analogy to refer to Buddhist temples that charge visitors who visit the cultural heritage sites.
His remarks irked Buddhists. Some took collective action, demanding that the DPK take measures to unseat or oust the lawmaker. Buddhist protestors staged protests in front of the DPK headquarters in Seoul. In November, Jung apologized via social media and said he tried to meet with the heads of the Jogye order, but they refused his visit.
The rankled Buddhists and their collective actions have put the Lee Jae-myung camp under pressure.
"For the past several months, I have been bullied from within the party. I am tired. But I won't give in. I have endured many difficult situations against all odds and will do so until (our candidate) wins the presidential election," Jung wrote on social media.
