Son Hye-won: "We Are Not the Illegitimate Children but the 'Hyoja' of the Democratic Party... We Will Support the Party in Difficult Times"

Kim Jong-in's Move to United Party, "Invited After Nomination... Hwang Kyo-ahn Trying to Use Him as a 'Figurehead'"

Independent lawmaker Sohn Hye-won, who is under suspicion of real estate speculation in the Mokpo area of Jeollanam-do, waved to her supporters as she attended the second trial held at the Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 21st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Son Hyewon, Chair of the Open Democratic Party’s Nomination Management Committee, said regarding the legitimacy controversy with the Together Citizens’ Party, "We are the filial son." In response to criticisms that individuals deemed ineligible by the Democratic Party and 'pro-Jo Guk figures' were selected as candidates, she said, "These are people chosen by the public. I am proud of them."

On the morning of the 27th, Chair Son appeared on MBC Radio and was asked, "How do you view the criticism that (the Democratic Party and the Citizens’ Party) are accusing the Open Party of impersonating the Moon Jae-in administration?" She replied, "I understand that they may speak sensitively, but we are too busy to respond to each point one by one."

When asked if that meant they were not paying attention, she said, "Yes," adding, "Yesterday, when the Citizens’ Party said we are the legitimate heir or the illegitimate child, we held a meeting with our candidates, and one person came up with a good idea. We are the filial son." She continued, "We are the filial son, and when the party faces difficulties later, we want to be known as the filial son who is always ready to support our parents. We decided to go with that."

When asked if this meant they were assuming a merger with the Democratic Party after the general election, she answered, "All our candidates are thinking that way."

Regarding the criticism that some Open Party candidates were rejected or deemed ineligible in the Democratic Party’s nomination process, she countered, "Those who were eliminated in the primaries were excluded, and the rest are all people recommended by the public."

She added, "It was not my decision but the people’s decision, and we responded to the call of the people, so we have no involvement in what happened within the Democratic Party. These are people chosen by the public," she emphasized.

When asked about the claim that there are many 'pro-Jo Guk figures,' she said, "That is said by those trying to disparage us," and reiterated, "Among our eighteen candidates, about three to four can be considered pro-Jo Guk, but all of them were recommended by the public."

She also said, "We do not feel any burden about the public calling on them and are very grateful," adding, "We are very proud."

Chair Son also said she would announce the National Assembly members’ recall system as the first campaign pledge. She explained, "When thinking about what the people want, we need to properly elect National Assembly members and create legislation that allows the public to recall them." When asked if this would require a constitutional amendment, she said, "Yes," adding, "Whether the pledge can be realized depends on how many members enter the National Assembly."

She reiterated the goal of winning "at least 12 seats" in this general election. She said, "I estimate that a party vote share of about 25% would be sufficient."

Meanwhile, regarding former Democratic Party Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in joining the United Future Party, Chair Son criticized, "Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the United Future Party, made all the nominations according to his own will, and on the last day, brought in Dr. Kim Jong-in," adding, "Bringing him in after the nominations are over makes me worry that he is being used as a 'face card'."

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