Chung Cheong-rae Hails Lee Jae-myung as 'Peace Advocate Embodying Kim Dae-jung's Spirit'

Chung Cheong-rae, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated at the 26th anniversary ceremony of the June 15th South-North Joint Declaration that Lee Jae-myung, then leader of the Democratic Party, is a 'peacemaker who best embodies the spirit of former President Kim Dae-jung.' Representative Chung attended the 26th anniversary ceremony of the June 15th South-North Joint Declaration held on June 15th at the Kim Dae-jung Library Convention Hall at Yonsei University in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

He recalled former President Kim Dae-jung, saying, 'President Kim was at the forefront of the 6.15 spirit and the path to peace on the Korean Peninsula.' He added, 'He was a leader who ultimately acted because he could not abandon peace, even in the face of fear.' Representative Chung referred to then-Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as someone who 'inherited the baton from former President Kim Dae-jung,' evaluating him as someone who actively creates peace rather than waiting for it, and who paves the way first before blaming the other side for their lack of change. He further stated that Lee best embodies the spirit of former President Kim Dae-jung as a peacemaker.

Representative Chung referred to the key figures of the June 15th Declaration as 'peacemakers' and paid tribute to former Unification Ministers Im Dong-won and Jeong Se-hyun, and Representative Park Jie-won. He revealed that the June 15th spirit of President Kim Dae-jung was that 'There is no separate path to peace. Peace itself is the path.' He emphasized that everyone should become a peacemaker who opens the path to peace.