Kim Jong-chul "Democratic Party Moves to Nominate Seoul and Busan Mayoral Candidates... Keep Your Promise"

Kim Jong-cheol, the newly elected leader of the Justice Party, greets after being announced as the winner of the 6th party leader election held on the afternoon of the 9th at the Justice Party Central Office in Yeouido, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Kim Jong-cheol, the newly appointed leader of the Justice Party, emphasized that no candidates should be fielded from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the upcoming Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections scheduled for April next year, stating, "Both elections started due to the Democratic Party's responsibility."

In an interview on the 12th with KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs,' Kim said, "When the Democratic Party previously established its party constitution and regulations, it was agreed that if the party was responsible for a vacancy, it would not field a candidate. They conveyed this to the public, who responded positively and showed support," emphasizing this point.

According to Article 96, Paragraph 2 of the Democratic Party's constitution, if an elected official from the party loses their position due to serious misconduct such as corruption, resulting in a by-election, the party shall not nominate a candidate for that electoral district. In accordance with the party constitution, candidates should not be fielded in by-elections.

Regarding this, Kim stressed, "The very foundation of politics is trust, and what is called 'double standards' should not be tolerated. It is necessary for the Democratic Party to keep its own promises," adding, "We are demanding that they take responsibility and show a responsible attitude."

In an interview the same day with YTN Radio's 'Hwang Bo-sun's Start of a New Morning,' Kim criticized, "These elections are being held due to the Democratic Party's responsibility, and according to the party's constitution and regulations, they should not field candidates, yet they are acting as if they will. They say they cannot hand it over to the People Power Party, so the Democratic Party has to do it again," he said.

He pointed out, "If this continues, the Democratic Party's existence will not be based on how moral, valuable, and trustworthy the party is, but rather on the idea that 'we made mistakes, but aren't we better than the People Power Party?' They are a party that uses the People Power Party as an alibi," he criticized.

Meanwhile, the mayoral posts of Seoul and Busan became vacant in July and April, respectively. The Seoul mayoral seat became vacant after former Mayor Park Won-soon, who was accused of sexual harassment by a former secretary, passed away in July. Earlier, the Busan mayoral seat became vacant when former Mayor Oh Keo-don admitted to allegations of sexual harassment against a female aide and resigned voluntarily.

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