Choi Jae-hyung: "I will end the darkness of the Moon administration with Yoon"... Im Jong-seok: "Nomination must be withdrawn"

People Power Party Strategically Nominates Choi Jae-hyung in Seoul Jongno
Im Jong-seok: "A World Without Shame Is Truly Horrifying"

Former Auditor General Choi Jae-hyung. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Choi Jae-hyung, former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, who was strategically nominated as the People Power Party candidate for the Seoul Jongno-gu National Assembly by-election, said on the 11th, "Together with presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, I will carry out the will of the people to end the darkness of the five years under the Moon Jae-in administration and brighten the Republic of Korea."

On the same day, Choi posted on his Facebook, saying, "With less than a month left, I will do my best to work together with the residents of Jongno-gu for regime change and political reform."

He said, "Yesterday, I received a request from the party to run in the March 9 National Assembly by-election in Jongno-gu," adding, "It is an overwhelming role to be entrusted with Jongno-gu, the number one political district in Korea, for someone like me who has been in politics for less than a year. I deeply feel the heavy responsibility."

He continued, "Politics has failed to make the people comfortable and has instead become a source of worry for them. Politics must change," and expressed his aspiration, "Through this Jongno-gu candidacy, I want to create an opportunity to realize politics that meet the expectations and common sense of the people."

Furthermore, he added, "Under the Moon Jae-in administration, where common sense collapsed over the past five years, the people have endured very difficult times," and said, "Stopping the dangerous reckless actions of an incompetent administration and normalizing the Republic of Korea is common sense and the will of the people."

Earlier, the People Power Party decided to strategically nominate Choi for the Jongno by-election held alongside the March 9 presidential election. Jo Eun-hee, former Seocho District Mayor, was nominated for Seocho-gap in Seoul, and Jeong Woo-taek, former lawmaker, was nominated for Cheongju Sangdang in North Chungcheong Province.

Im Jong-seok, former Chief of Staff to the President. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, former Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok voiced criticism over Choi’s strategic nomination for the Jongno by-election.

Through his Facebook, he said, "This should not happen. The People Power Party must immediately withdraw Choi Jae-hyung’s strategic nomination," and pointed out, "That is the minimum courtesy to democracy."

Lim criticized, "Yoon Seok-yeol and Choi Jae-hyung have undermined the fundamental basis of democracy in this country," adding, "The heads of the prosecution and the Board of Audit and Inspection, who should be more neutral and independent than any other institution, abandoned their fixed terms and directly entered politics."

He continued, "The two clearly showed juniors how to become nationwide politicians at once. Ambitious juniors must have observed and learned well," and argued, "Evil deeds lead to more evil deeds."

He also said, "From now on, no president will appoint neutral personnel to the prosecution and the Board of Audit and Inspection. Because they privatize enormous information and investigations and audits, and you never know when they might stab you in the back for their own politics," adding, "Democracy is another word for decency. A world without decency is truly dreadful."

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