PPP says "Regret the 'dragging others down' tactic"... Reform Party says "Don't attack us to divert attention"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, speaking at the Supreme Council meeting (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Gwang-mo = Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th. 2026.7.13 hkmpooh@yna.co.kr A blame game involving the People Power Party (PPP), the Reform Party, and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon continues over allegations that former Reform Party Busan mayoral candidate Jeong I-han "staged" an attack on himself.

After the PPP and Rep. Han demanded the Reform Party disclose when they became aware of the staged incident, Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok mentioned a "PPP conspiracy theory," asking, "I wonder if some people within the PPP are orchestrating this and setting the fire," and the aftershocks continue.

On the 13th, PPP Supreme Council member Shin Dong-wook opened the attack during a Supreme Council meeting, saying, "It makes no common sense to claim that no one knew about this fact, even though the Reform Party had numerous campaign officials and the candidate was frequently visiting the police for investigations."

Supreme Council member Shin pointed out, "Instead of speculating about potential collusion between the Reform Party and the PPP, the Reform Party should simply provide an explanation that the public can accept."

Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja also criticized, "Leader Lee Jun-seok claimed that our party, the PPP, was behind the staged terror crime by candidate Jeong I-han," adding, "He is displaying every aspect of Lee Jun-seok-style bad politics: evading responsibility, using provocative messages, attacking the messenger, and shifting the frame."

Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon met with reporters immediately after the Supreme Council meeting and demanded, "We deeply regret that Leader Lee Jun-seok is not just muddying the waters but is dragging the PPP into the mess with a 'dragging others down' tactic," and added, "Go to the police now and relay the details you are aware of."

Seo Ji-yeon, a former spokesperson for the election campaign committee of PPP Busan mayoral candidate Park Heong-joon, also issued a statement on the same day, protesting, "Some in the Reform Party are spreading groundless conspiracy theories about Park Heong-joon's campaign regarding former candidate Jeong I-han's staged incident," adding, "This is typical old-fashioned politics trying to pass the responsibility for their party's failed nomination onto another camp."

PPP leadership heading to the Supreme Council meeting (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Gwang-mo = PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok, floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik, and other supreme council members are entering the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th. 2026.7.13 hkmpooh@yna.co.kr

On the other hand, the Reform Party leadership maintained their stance that they were unaware of former candidate Jeong's staged act beforehand and launched a counterattack.

During the Supreme Council meeting that day, Leader Lee said, "If there are factions within the PPP experiencing difficulties due to ongoing political strife, I hope they do not open fire on the Reform Party to divert attention."

He stated, "The Reform Party has never once changed its stance that we are always sorry to the public regarding what happened in the Busan mayoral election," but added, "However, we will respond with confidence based on verified facts to 'might as well' style accusations."

In particular, he targeted lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, stating, "I hope no one uses the December 3rd martial law for their own political whitewashing," and directly criticized, "If someone tries to build their own politics using that wound as fertilizer, it is truly heartbreaking."

The PPP and the Reform Party also argued over the issue of consolidating conservative candidates in the Busan mayoral election.

Park Heong-joon's campaign committee claimed, "If our committee had known beforehand that it was a staged act, candidate Jeong would have had to resign, so there would have been no need for any effort toward consolidation for the sake of conservative unity."

In response, Leader Lee met with reporters immediately after the Supreme Council meeting and said, "Discussing consolidation is fine, but if improper deals were involved, that would be a very big problem," adding, "We have confirmed that a figure from the Park Heong-joon campaign made contact with candidate Jeong on May 17th." [Yonhap News]