Yoon Ho-jung Dismisses 'Cho Kuk Busan Mayor Speculation' Saying "Not the Time to Discuss By-Elections"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Wondara and Jeon Jinyoung] Yoon Hojung, Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Korea, dismissed the speculation about former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk running for the next Busan mayor, saying, "It is not the time to discuss the by-election."

On the morning of the 24th, after the Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly, Secretary General Yoon told reporters regarding the mention of former Minister Cho as a candidate for the next Busan mayor, "It is inappropriate to talk about this. Even mentioning the by-election is not appropriate. It is not the time for that." He added, "The citizens of Busan need time to reflect and restrain themselves; it is not a situation to talk about a by-election."

Former Mayor Oh held a press conference the previous day, admitted to sexually harassing a female public official, and resigned from his mayoral position. The Busan mayoral by-election is scheduled to be held in April next year. According to Article 96 of the Democratic Party’s constitution and regulations, if an elected official from the party loses their position due to serious misconduct such as corruption, the party shall not nominate a candidate for the corresponding electoral district in the by-election.

The Democratic Party’s Ethics Committee meeting regarding former Mayor Oh, which was scheduled for today, has been postponed to the 27th. Secretary General Yoon said, "The Ethics Committee did not have enough members to convene, so it was moved to Monday," and added, "I requested at the Supreme Council meeting that the disciplinary action be taken even if the meeting is held tomorrow."

When asked if expulsion could be decided within a day if the Ethics Committee convenes, he said, "Since he has admitted all the facts, it does not seem that there will be any separate explanation."

Regarding whether the party was unaware of this incident before former Mayor Oh’s resignation, he answered, "Yes," as he did the previous day.

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