A fragile alliance within South Korea’s ruling bloc is showing signs of fracture as supporters of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung voice mounting frustration over what they perceive as Democratic Party (DP) leader Jung Cheong-rae’s “self-serving” political maneuvers.
The tension, brewing for months, boiled over on January 22, 2026 – a day that was supposed to be a historic milestone for the Lee administration. As the KOSPI index finally breached the 5,000-point mark, fulfilling a cornerstone of Lee’s economic campaign promises, Jung held a sudden press conference at the National Assembly to propose a formal merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party, helmed by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk (and with a name that, in Korean, includes a play on “Cho Kuk”).
For Lee’s supporters, the timing of the announcement was nothing short of a political betrayal. While the Blue House was preparing to celebrate the “KOSPI 5,000 era” as proof of Lee’s administrative efficacy, the news cycle was instead dominated by Jung’s merger proposal. Lee supporters accused Jung of effectively burying Lee’s greatest achievement to date under a cloud of partisan maneuvering. At the very least, his surprise announcement was clearly not coordinated with the Blue House.
This is not the first time Jung has been accused of stealing the
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