Attacker of Song Young-gil says on YouTube, "Representative Song must resign immediately... No by-election nomination for Jongno"

Expressing Dissatisfaction Over the Inability to Postpone ROK-US Joint Exercises and No Candidacy in Jongno

According to the Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul, Song Young-gil, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was struck by YouTuber Mr. A (70) while campaigning at the plaza in front of Sinchon U-PLEX in Seoul around 12:05 PM on the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] It has been reported that a man in his 70s who assaulted Song Young-gil, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, with a blunt weapon at a campaign site in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, had been continuing to criticize Song on YouTube.

On the afternoon of the 7th, Song was hit on the head with a blunt weapon by YouTuber Mr. A (70) near Sinchon Station in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, and was transported to a hospital.

Mr. A is said to have been running a YouTube channel called 'PyosatgatTV' since February 2020. Advocating for a declaration to end the war and Korean reunification, he regularly visited the Democratic Party headquarters, presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, and Song’s campaign sites to upload videos.

Mr. A expressed dissatisfaction with Song’s announcement of no candidate nomination for the by-election and his assertion that joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises should be conducted. In a video titled '2.27 Democratic Party Headquarters Song Young-gil Meeting' released on the 27th of last month, he said, "Song Young-gil is the one who restarted the South Korea-U.S. exercises that turn our young people into bulletproof vests and slaves for another country," and criticized, "I sent several letters demanding Song’s immediate resignation, but he did not step down."

He continued, "Jongno is the number one political district in our country, but when former leader Lee Nak-yeon ran for president, he resigned (from that district). However, the Democratic Party did not nominate anyone for the by-election in that district," and criticized, "It was not a resignation due to a mistake, but because Lee resigned to run for president, the Democratic Party should have nominated another member for that seat. Does that mean our numbers decrease and the People Power Party’s numbers increase?"

Earlier, in January, Song held an emergency press conference and announced a party reform plan stating he would not run in the next general election and that the party would not nominate a candidate for the Jongno by-election. On August 5 of last year, on YTN Radio’s 'Hwang Bo-seon’s Starting Morning,' Song said, "Ultimately, the goal is to normalize North Korea-U.S. relations, so for now, I believe the agreed joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises are inevitable," drawing a line against calls to postpone the joint military exercises.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party strongly condemned this act of violence. The Democratic Party’s Election Countermeasures Committee Public Relations Team issued a statement that day saying, "Leader Song was attacked during campaigning. We strongly condemn this," and added, "Interfering with election campaigns through violence is a serious threat to democracy."

They also stated, "Leader Song received suturing treatment at Severance Hospital, canceled his schedule for the day, and plans to rest after receiving medical care," and "The perpetrator is under investigation by the Seodaemun Police Station, and the details of the incident will be disclosed by the investigative authorities."

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