Democratic Party Declares Jeong Bong-ju Unsuitable as Preliminary Candidate for General Election

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] On the 9th, the Democratic Party of Korea judged former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju, who faced a defamation trial related to sexual harassment allegations, as disqualified from being a preliminary candidate. As a result, it has become difficult for Jeong to run in the general election under the Democratic Party banner.

The Democratic Party's Nomination Management Committee held a plenary meeting at the Yeouido party headquarters on the same day and decided on Jeong's eligibility as a preliminary candidate for the general election after discussion.

The committee explained, "Although Jeong was acquitted in the first trial related to the case and various discussions were held, we concluded that disqualification was inevitable to fulfill the responsibility of a public party prioritizing the public's standards and expectations."

Earlier this year, Jeong declared his candidacy for the 21st general election and applied for nomination in Seoul Gangseo-gap, the constituency of Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop.

The committee had previously postponed the decision on Jeong's candidate eligibility on the 6th. Some interpreted this as the party giving Jeong time to decide not to run.

There had been divided opinions inside and outside the political circle regarding Jeong's nomination. This was because analyses suggested that Jeong, who faced defamation trials related to sexual harassment allegations, could negatively impact the party in this general election.

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon wrote on his Facebook on the same day, "Jeong Bong-ju lied to the public. People who do not understand democratic communication should never become politicians." He also claimed, "Jeong seems to have problems with emotional control. In the 2012 general election, the Democratic Party's campaign was ruined by Kim Yong-min, who ran as a proxy candidate in Jeong's district and was a member of the same Nakkomsoo group, due to his offensive remarks."

However, Jeong rebutted the claims from inside and outside the party that he should withdraw his candidacy during a meeting with reporters right after his meeting with party leader Lee Hae-chan, saying, "Why should I withdraw my candidacy? There is no basis for disqualification..."

Meanwhile, some analyses suggest that with Jeong's disqualification as a general election candidate, the Democratic Party's "general election risk" has been completely resolved. Previously, Moon Seok-gyun, son of National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, who was involved in a controversy over "constituency inheritance," decided not to run after the controversy, and Kim Eui-gyeom, former Blue House spokesperson involved in a real estate speculation controversy, also declared he would not run.

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