Hwang Kyo-ahn and Kim Jong-in Meet in Jongno Near Election End... Will They Find a Solution to the 'Controversial Remarks' Issue?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the United Future Party, and Kim Jong-in, the general election committee chairman, continue their campaign in Jongno during the last weekend before the April 15 general election. On the 11th, they not only campaigned together in Jongno but also met in the morning to discuss election strategies. Amid the 'controversial remarks' shaking the centrist voter sentiment, they are making a final push to secure votes.

On the same day, Hwang and Kim held a meeting at Hwang's campaign office in Jongno, Seoul, to discuss last-minute strategies for the general election. This meeting came five days after Kim visited Jongno on the 6th to campaign together. They are also scheduled to campaign together again at Daemyeong Street in Hyehwa-dong at 5 p.m. that day.

With internal turmoil in the United Future Party due to the controversial remarks by candidates Kim Dae-ho and Cha Myung-jin and subsequent disciplinary actions by the party's ethics committee, attention is focused on whether Hwang and Kim can resolve the controversies and devise a way to attract centrist voters in the final stretch.

Previously, candidate Kim was expelled by the party's ethics committee after making remarks that could be interpreted as disparaging the 30-40 age group and the elderly. Subsequently, candidate Cha also received a recommendation to withdraw from the party from the ethics committee after making 'ㅇㅇㅇ remarks' implying that the Sewol ferry victims' families engaged in immoral behavior.

The recommendation to withdraw from the party is a disciplinary action nearly equivalent to expulsion, as failure to comply within 10 days results in expulsion. However, given that the election is only five days away, it is interpreted as effectively allowing the candidate to complete the election. Candidate Cha also expressed on his Facebook, "I appreciate the ethics committee's decision. I will complete the race as a United Future Party candidate."

Regarding this, Kim criticized, "The ethics committee's decision is pathetic," and Hwang also issued a statement around midnight on the 10th, stating, "Candidate Cha is no longer our party's candidate."

However, besides candidates Kim and Cha, candidate Joo Dong-sik, running in Gwangju Seo-gu Gap, sparked controversy for disparaging Gwangju by saying it is "a city trapped in the legacy of the 1980s, a city devoted to rituals instead of production," and candidate Lee Geun-yeol, running in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, caused another controversy by stating in his election leaflet that he would "establish a Chinese red-light district."

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