"Ruffians' Sword Dance" vs "Early Voting Count Manipulation" Post-Election Outdoor Verbal Clash Between Ruling and Opposition Parties

Choi Kang-wook: "I will repay so that people feel the world has changed"
Cha Myung-jin: "Early voting boxes must be re-examined"

Open Democratic Party spokesperson Kim Seong-hoe (from left), Choi Kang-wook, Ahn Won-gu, and Hwang Hee-seok, proportional representation candidates, are answering reporters' questions after announcing their prosecution reform pledges at the National Assembly Communication Hall press conference room on the 31st of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As the 21st general election ended with a landslide victory for the ruling party, verbal clashes between the ruling and opposition parties continue. Choi Kang-wook, former Blue House Secretary for Public Office Discipline and proportional representative-elect of the Open Democratic Party, said, "I will make sure to repay so that everyone feels the world has changed." Some opposition members raised a conspiracy theory about manipulation of early voting counts.

On the 17th, Choi posted on his Facebook targeting the prosecution and media, saying, "I promised prosecution reform and media reform," emphasizing this point. He said, "The dirty schemes of a corrupt group that is less than a handful will continue. If I were afraid of them, I wouldn't have stepped forward," adding, "Please watch and support me. At least, I have not lived more dirty than those wicked ones."

In another post to greet his election victory, he said, "I am one person, but I am by no means a small one," and "I deeply engrave the passion of 15 million, surpassing 1.5 million. I will run to fulfill the command of the candlelight citizens without betraying that aspiration." Earlier, in January, the prosecution indicted Choi without detention on charges of issuing a false internship certificate for the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.

Also, Hwang Hee-seok, former Ministry of Justice director and proportional representative candidate from the same party as Choi, criticized the prosecution on his Facebook on the 19th, saying, "The ruffians are dancing with swords."

He emphasized, "Just as the National Intelligence Service, the Security Headquarters, and the military were dismantled after the 1987 democratic uprising, the so-called 586 generation must complete the last mission of dismantling the last omnipotent vested power ruling group without passing it on to the next generation." Hwang ran in this general election as number 8 on the Open Democratic Party proportional list but lost as the party's vote share was only 5.4%.

Yoo Si-min, Chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation [Photo by Yonhap News]

Statements about prosecution reform from the ruling party were also made before the general election. Yoo Si-min, director of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, said on the 10th about Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, "Prosecutor General Yoon is practically a figurehead. His reputation as prosecutor general has plummeted because of his wife and mother-in-law."

On that day, in the foundation's YouTube broadcast 'Alileo,' he claimed that Yoon was trying to cover up suspicions of collusion between a Channel A reporter and a current chief prosecutor known as Yoon's close aide.

He said that if the prosecution investigates the reporter's mobile phone and finds call recordings or messages with the chief prosecutor and other prosecutors, "Pandora's box will open," adding, "Yoon blocking the inspection means he intends to delay and cover up by refusing to open the reporter's phone."

He continued, "I think the chief prosecutor is Yoon's right-hand man. Even if it means resigning, it is a declaration that he cannot personally inspect the chief prosecutor," he asserted.

Candidate Cha Myung-jin of the United Future Party, running for the 21st general election in Bucheon B, Gyeonggi Province, is appealing for support to citizens from a campaign vehicle in the Sosa District area of Bucheon City, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 10th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the opposition has raised a conspiracy theory that the early voting count in the April 15 general election was manipulated.

On the 18th, Cha Myung-jin, former candidate of the United Future Party (Gyeonggi Bucheon-byeong), posted on his Facebook, "Listen to what the Garosero Research Institute says. Early election results are suspicious in at least 12 places. The ratio of votes inside and outside the district for candidate A and candidate B is exactly the same," raising suspicions.

Cha said, "Isn't it strange if two students taking the same test have answer sheets that are exactly the same, down to every number, whether correct or incorrect? Such cases occurred in 12 places nationwide. At least these places should have their early voting boxes re-examined. What is the United Future Party leadership doing?"

In response, Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, wrote on Facebook, "After an election ends, supporters of the losing side psychologically cannot accept situations that contradict their beliefs," adding, "To resolve this cognitive dissonance, they often invoke conspiracy theories. Like saying, 'We originally won this election, but we lost unfairly due to some conspiracy...'"

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