"Will Face Judgment" Minjoo Party Moves Toward Nominations for Seoul and Busan Mayoral Elections... What Do You Think?

Lee Nak-yeon "Being judged by Seoul and Busan nominations is a responsible duty"
Kim Jong-in "Breaking promises under party rules and regulations"
Kim Jong-chul "Questioning if blaming party members is appropriate and regrettable"

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving a greeting at the nationwide urban railway operators' labor-management representatives meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The Democratic Party of Korea has announced that it will hold a full party member vote on whether to nominate candidates for next year's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections and on amending the party constitution, sparking controversy.

According to the Democratic Party's constitution, "If a serious wrongdoing is committed, no candidate shall be recommended," meaning that no candidates can be nominated for the vacant Seoul and Busan mayoral positions, which became vacant due to resignations amid sexual harassment allegations.

However, the Democratic Party is being criticized for effectively denying its own party constitution by conducting the nomination process through a full party member vote. The opposition parties have immediately condemned this as a "breach of promise." Mixed reactions are also emerging among citizens.

On the afternoon of the 29th, Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon stated at an on-tact policy meeting held at the National Assembly, "With the consent of the morning Supreme Council meeting, we have decided to put the question of whether to amend the party constitution to open the way for candidate nomination to a full party member vote."

Article 96, Paragraph 2 of the Democratic Party constitution states, "If an elected official belonging to the party loses their position due to serious wrongdoing such as corruption, resulting in a by-election, no candidate shall be recommended for the relevant electoral district."

Accordingly, the Democratic Party, to which the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was under investigation for sexual harassment before his tragic death, and former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, who admitted to sexual harassment and resigned voluntarily, belonged, should not nominate candidates for the by-elections under this rule.

In response, Leader Lee said, "According to the party constitution, it is difficult for our party to nominate candidates in the two by-elections. We have listened extensively to opinions both inside and outside the party on this matter," adding, "As a result, we concluded that not nominating candidates is not the only responsible choice, and rather, nominating candidates and facing the judgment of the citizens is the responsible duty of a political party."

He continued, "Contrary to the pure intention behind the introduction of such a rule, not nominating candidates could excessively restrict voters' right to choose," and apologized repeatedly to the citizens of Seoul and Busan and the public for causing administrative gaps and triggering by-elections due to the mistakes of mayors belonging to the party.

He added, "Especially, I sincerely apologize to the victims. I also feel sorry for having to ask party members whether to nominate candidates for the by-elections. The Democratic Party will deeply reflect on its shortcomings and strive to become a responsible political party," he emphasized.

People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in is asking questions about carbon material products at the Korea Carbon Convergence Technology Institute in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do on the 29th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

As the Democratic Party appears to be effectively overturning its party constitution, criticism is pouring in from opposition parties. Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, told reporters at the National Assembly, "The Democratic Party has broken its promises according to the party constitution and regulations." Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized, "Even if they hold a full party member vote, the conclusion is obvious. They do all sorts of unscrupulous things; divine punishment will come."

Kim Jong-cheol, leader of the Justice Party, also said, "It is questionable and regrettable that the Democratic Party is shifting responsibility to party members instead of the leadership taking responsibility for the problem."

Jung Ho-jin, senior spokesperson for the Justice Party, stated, "It is absurd to claim to protect the lives of the people while failing to keep promises to themselves," adding, "They have made the people who expected magnanimous responsible politics from the ruling party look foolish."

Among citizens, opinions are divided. Some believe it is reasonable to hold a full party member vote and nominate candidates accordingly, thereby receiving a kind of judgment, while others criticize that a party that overturns its own constitution loses the legitimacy to nominate candidates.

Kim, a company employee in his 30s, said, "Since the Democratic Party is seeking opinions on whether to recommend candidates through a party member vote, it seems appropriate to reach a conclusion through this process." He added, "The Democratic Party has sufficiently apologized for this controversy, so I think there is no problem."

On the other hand, some argue that this act by the Democratic Party actually disregards democratic procedures. Park, a worker in his 40s, said, "Denying the party constitution and deciding to nominate candidates through a full party member vote will likely result in more support than opposition. Wouldn't the ruling party prefer to have candidates from their own party rather than the opposition winning the Seoul mayoral seat?" He added, "It looks like a democratic procedure, but it might just be a procedure for the sake of procedure."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party plans to hold the full party member vote over two days, on the 31st and the 1st of next month. Chief spokesperson Choi In-ho said in a briefing, "There have been many concerns ahead of next year's by-elections, but this is a political decision to fulfill our responsibilities as a public and ruling party," adding, "This full party member vote is a procedure to confirm the will of party members on whether a party constitution amendment is necessary to nominate candidates."

Chief spokesperson Choi urged, "I hope many party members participate in this weekend's full party member vote and take the lead in implementing responsible politics," and said, "(The party leadership) judged that nominating candidates and facing the judgment of the people is more in line with the principles of responsible politics."

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