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Rep. Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, meets with Cho Kuk, head of The Rebuilding Korea Party, at the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 26. / Yonhap News

On Nov. 26, Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae and Cho Kuk, newly appointed head of The Rebuilding Korea Party, held their first official meeting — a session that revealed subtle but unmistakable tension over the direction of political reform.

Cho opened the discussion with a forceful appeal. Political reform, he argued, would fundamentally benefit the public and serve as the basis for “defeating forces of insurrection and the far right.” He urged Jung to “take the wheel” in driving the reform process, reiterating the same message he delivered the previous day to National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, where he called for constitutional revision and amendments to the national referendum law.

Jung, however, offered a cool response. He noted that no member of Cho’s party had contacted him directly regarding political reform, yet some had publicly criticized him as lacking commitment to the issue. Such remarks, he said, created the misleading impression that he was unwilling to pursue reform — something he described as “regrettable.”

Despite his displeasure, Jung signaled room for cooperation. He said the matter could be taken up by a future special committee on political reform, expressing hope that “such misunderstandings will not happen again.”

With the first anniversary of the December 3 Martial Law incident approaching, the two leaders also emphasized the need to “eradicate the remnants of insurrection.” Jung said the insurrection had “not yet ended,” arguing that pro-coup forces remained active and that democracy must be defended through completing the administration’s three major reforms.

Cho echoed this concern, saying a return to power by “insurrectionist forces” would be a national tragedy. He added that his party would run “at the forefront” to ensure the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration and the re-election of a democratic reform government.