Between 'Gongmyeol' and 'Box Office'..The Dilemma of the Democratic Party Election Commission

Lee Nak-yeon Camp's Chief Spokesperson Oh Young-hoon
Democratic Party Election Commission Investigation Begins from the 5th
Referral to Election Commission After Fairness Subcommittee Review
Lee Sang-min: "Resolving Conflict is Important, Will Make Purposeful Judgment"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] As the negative exchanges between Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, intensify, the Democratic Party's Central Election Commission will begin investigating the report filed by Oh Young-hoon, chief spokesperson of Lee Nak-yeon's campaign, for ‘false information disclosure’ starting from the 5th.

The process involves review by the party’s Election Fraud Reporting Center and the Election Commission’s Fairness Subcommittee, followed by referral to the full Election Commission meeting. The Democratic Party Election Commission has maintained the position that ‘tension between candidates is inevitable to boost primary election turnout’ and has emphasized resolving conflicts.

On the 5th, Lee Sang-min, chairman of the Democratic Party Election Commission, explained in a phone interview with Asia Economy, “(Regarding the report filed by Chief Spokesperson Oh Young-hoon) it is customary for the Election Fraud Reporting Center to investigate, then for the Fairness Subcommittee to review, and finally for the full meeting to be convened,” adding, “I expect such procedures will be followed.” He also stated, “However, the Election Commission’s role is not only to investigate and judge like a judicial body but also to help resolve conflicts to some extent, so we will make a purposive judgment.”

The issue began when it was claimed that “Governor Lee is using Gyeonggi residents’ tax money for election campaign fuel and vehicle maintenance expenses.” The allegation was that election campaigning was being funded with taxpayers’ money without resigning from the governor position. On the 2nd, Chief Spokesperson Oh stated in a commentary, “Gyeonggi residents’ tax money is flowing into fuel costs and vehicle maintenance expenses for his election campaign.” In response, Lee Jae-myung’s campaign took a strong stance by reporting this as ‘false information disclosure’ to the central party’s Election Commission and Ethics Inspection Team.

This negative exchange is expected to continue until the Democratic Party primary election on October 10. While the Election Commission may issue official warnings or hold a One Team agreement ceremony again, the current level of competition and tension is considered inevitable by insiders within and outside the Election Commission. A member of the Democratic Party Election Commission said, “Compared to previous presidential primaries, it is hard to say this negative battle is severe, and the opposition party’s will likely intensify as well,” adding, “(Rather) we have requested that parts requiring fact-checking be reported to the party’s Election Commission rather than the media, and we plan to conduct fact-checking on those parts.” Another Election Commission member commented, “(Yesterday’s) YTN debate was actually considered too mild by some,” and said, “While deeply engaging in policy discussions is necessary, fierce mutual verification and a tense atmosphere are needed to strengthen defense in the general election. We will moderate it, but sharp exchanges are also necessary.”

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