Democratic Party: "Won Jong-geon's Controversy Was a Private Matter, Limiting Verification"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Nahum Kang, Jinyoung Jeon] The Democratic Party of Korea admitted on the 28th that there were limitations in verifying the 'Me Too' controversy surrounding Won Jong-geon (27), the party's second recruited talent, because it was a private matter.

Kim Seong-hwan, the chief secretary to the party leader of the Democratic Party, stated this during a meeting with reporters at the National Assembly, saying, "We will further review how far we can verify private matters and supplement any points that need to be addressed."

Regarding the recruitment process of Won, Kim explained, "Since this is not a government organization, the procedures are not the same as those of the government, but it is true that the party conducted the maximum possible preliminary verification. We checked whether the papers he wrote and his public statements aligned with his identity before recruiting him."

He added, "There seems to be a factual discrepancy between the woman's allegations and what Won says," and said, "Objectively, I am not sure how far the party can handle this issue, but we plan to verify and confirm the facts and take necessary measures."

When asked whether legal responsibility would be pursued against Won, Kim said, "The party will conduct additional verification and take action if necessary," adding, "It appears to be a matter concerning the relationship between a man and a woman."

On the same day, Won, who suggested he would not run in the general election and said he would return his status as a recruited talent to the party, reportedly did not submit a withdrawal letter to the party.

Hong Ik-pyo, the senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, responded to questions about whether Won had submitted a withdrawal letter by saying, "It is not a withdrawal," and added, "Won's statement is that he will not run for public office, but his party membership status is unknown."

Hong also said, "We need to investigate and ascertain the facts," and "Afterward, the party will conduct an investigation to clarify the facts."

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