Yeosang-gyu and Han Seon-gyo... Serial Withdrawal from Candidacy in the Korean Party, Different Voices for the Hwang Regime (Comprehensive)

'Korean Party Veterans' Yeosang-gyu and Han Seon-gyo Announce Withdrawal from General Election
"Passage of Corruption Investigation Office Law is Devastating" Following Kim Do-eup, Judiciary Committee Secretary, Yeosang-gyu Also Withdraws
Views on 'Hwang Kyo-an Regime' Diverge... Yeosang-gyu Says "Must Decide to Resign" vs Han Seon-gyo Says "Should Support"

Yeo Sang-gyu, a member of the Liberty Korea Party, bows his head before holding a press conference to announce his decision not to run in the 21st National Assembly election at the National Assembly on the 2nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] With just over four months remaining until the general election, incumbent lawmakers of the Liberty Korea Party are announcing their decisions not to run one after another. On the 2nd, senior lawmakers such as Han Seon-kyo (4-term, Gyeonggi Yongin-si Byeong) and Yeo Sang-gyu (3-term, Gyeongnam Sacheon-si Namhae-gun Hadong-gun) declared their non-candidacy in succession.

Yeo, the chairman of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly that morning and stated, "There is no longer a place for me in a National Assembly that has abandoned the rule of law, cooperation, and national interest," announcing his intention not to run in the 21st general election.

Two days earlier, Kim Do-eup (re-elected, Busan Bukgangseo-eul), the floor leader of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, also declared he would not run, saying, "I will take responsibility for failing to block the passage of the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) Act." Following the passage of the fast-track bills, both the chairman and the floor leader of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee have consecutively announced their non-candidacy.

Yeo’s decision not to run was directly triggered by the intense conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties during the fast-track bill process. Yeo explained, "I felt disillusioned by the current political reality where all kinds of illegal and unlawful acts are tolerated solely to pursue partisan interests, ignoring the national interest, and by the extreme division that regards only one’s own side as the people." He added, "As the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, I could not help but feel devastated witnessing the forced passage of malicious laws like the mixed-member proportional representation election law and the HOCI Act, which serve only the regime and specific factions."

Right after the press conference, Yeo also sharply criticized the party leadership for failing to show leadership during the effort to block the fast-track bills. He said, "The party leadership should have stopped it. The Liberty Korea Party was very powerless at the scene where absurd malicious laws were forcibly passed in South Korea." He continued, "The party leadership did not give any courage to the lawmakers who had to physically block it. There was no party leadership willing to take responsibility as I did," raising the issue of leadership responsibility.

Furthermore, he emphasized that for the integration of the 'free camp,' party leaders including Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn must even consider resigning. Yeo said, "I believe that all former lawmakers of the Liberty Korea Party, including the party leader, should not cling to their positions." He added, "We must put everything down and purely gather again to set up a big tent. Only when the party name and direction are decided there and unity is achieved can we guarantee victory in the general election."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Han, who served as the first secretary-general under the 'Hwang Kyo-ahn regime,' also declared on the same day that "considering the timing, ability, and party circumstances, it is right not to run." He said, "I hope this small decision of mine will somewhat respond to the public’s demand, who have criticized why the Liberty Korea Party does not change while witnessing the uncomfortable state of the National Assembly these days."

However, unlike Yeo, Han supported the Hwang leadership. He said, "There have been many criticisms, baseless remarks, and complaints about the Hwang regime, which has lasted about ten months around the Liberty Korea Party." He added, "I decided not to run also to support the Hwang regime as its first secretary-general." He further stated, "If anyone intends to use the ongoing non-candidacy within the party as an opportunity to return to the party, that is wrong." He also became emotional, saying, "I am truly sorry to former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached and imprisoned. Please forgive me."

With this, the number of lawmakers in the Liberty Korea Party who have declared their non-candidacy for the general election has increased to nine, including Kim Moo-sung, Kim Se-yeon, Kim Young-woo, Kim Seong-chan, Kim Do-eup, Yoon Sang-jik, and Yoo Min-bong.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.