Democratic Party chair Rep. Jung Chung-rae is seen at the party's central committee on Tuesday. (Yoon Chang=bin/The Korea Herald) Public attention is turning to Rep. Jung Chung-rae’s future ahead of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's national convention set for August, as competition for power within the party intensifies.The four-term lawmaker is facing mounting pressure to resign from his post. Jung has chaired the party since August last year, filling in for Lee Jae Myung, who stepped down after winning the presidential election in June 2025.Calls for his resignation intensified since June 10, when, in response to Lee’s rejection of Jung’s declaration of victory in the June election, he said that no administration would outlast its people. Pressure also grew after Cheong Wa Dae decided last week not to have the party leadership appear at the ceremony to send off the president as he departed for his European tour.Some critics say Jung should take responsibility for the election outcome and announce that he will not run again for the leadership. Others say that, even if Jung intends to seek another term, he should first resign from the chairship to ensure a fair race at the party convention.“Regardless of whether the current leader runs again or not, I believe it would be desirable for him to resign for the sake of fair management of the national convention,” Rep. Lim Mi-ae, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said in a radio interview Tuesday.According to party regulations, there is no deadline by which an incumbent party chair must resign, Rep. Jo Seoung-lae of the Democratic Party, who serves as the party’s secretary general, said at a news conference Sunday.Jo added, however, that there is a precedent: then-party chair Lee resigned before the formation of the preparatory committee for the party’s national convention.Meanwhile, another lawmaker said Jung should take appropriate action in the wake of the disappointing local election outcome.“The right course of action would be for Jung to take full responsibility and resign, and let the people and party members decide on his future,” five-term Rep. Park Jie-won of the Democratic Party said in a separate radio interview Monday.“If it were me, I wouldn’t run,” he added.Jung has yet to speak publicly about his future and has minimized his media appearances since the election.Rep. Han Min-soo, chief secretary for the party chair, said in a radio interview Tuesday that Jung would remain silent on his future until Lee returns from Europe later this week.“Even if he opens up about his future, my personal thought is that it would be after Lee’s return from his presidential trip, scheduled for Thursday,” Han said in the interview.Han added that he does not “feel pressure” from within the party regarding Jung’s resignation.On the other hand, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, a potential contender for party chair at the upcoming convention, said in a radio interview Monday evening that he will likely step down from his post and return to the party some time between late June and early July, should prime minister nominee Han Seong-sook receive approval from both the National Assembly and the president.