Jeonbuk Civic Groups Announce Cases of Corrupt Politicians in the 7th Local Government Term

6 People Including the List Pass Democratic Party Qualification Review Amid 'Controversy'

"Running in the June 1 Local Elections Goes Against Common Sense"

The Jeonbuk Provincial Council and Jeonju City Council scenes most frequently included in the "Collection of Cases of Poor Politicians in the 7th Local Government" announced by Jeonbuk Citizen Coalition for Participatory Autonomy and other Jeonbuk civic groups

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] Ahead of the 8th nationwide local elections on June 1, a civic group in Jeonbuk announced a "Collection of Cases of Poor Politicians in the 7th Local Government." The group raised their voices, saying, "Their candidacy goes against the common sense of citizens."

Meanwhile, among the so-called "poor politicians" selected and announced, six recently passed the qualification screening for preliminary candidates conducted by the Jeonbuk Provincial Party of the Democratic Party of Korea, sparking further controversy.

On the 25th, the Participatory Autonomy Jeonbuk Citizens' Coalition and the Participatory Autonomy Gunsan Citizens' Coalition announced the "Collection of Cases of Poor Politicians in the 7th Local Government for the Proper Choice of Jeonbuk Voters."

This includes not only antisocial crimes such as drunk driving but also violations of ethical codes and duties to avoid conflicts of interest.

First, the representative serious poor politician cases include a total of 19 metropolitan and basic council members: 6 from the Jeonbuk Provincial Council, 9 from the Jeonju City Council, 1 from the Jeongeup City Council, and 3 from the Gimje City Council.

In the Jeonbuk Provincial Council, they are Councilors Song Seong-hwan, Choi Young-il, Choi Hoon-yeol, Kim Ki-young, Choi Chan-wook, and Oh Pyeong-geun.

In the Jeonju City Council, Councilors Song Sang-jun, Kim Seung-seop, Chae Young-byeong, Kim Eun-young, Han Seung-jin, Lee Mi-sook, Park Hyung-bae, along with former Councilors Seo Seon-hee and Go Mi-hee, who lost their seats, were branded as poor politicians.

In the Gimje City Council, which was embroiled in a scandal involving an affair among fellow councilors, the list includes former Councilor On Ju-hyun who resigned, Councilor Yoo Jin-woo who lost his seat, and Councilor Go Mi-jeong who quietly returned to her position.

The Participatory Autonomy Citizens' Coalition also pointed out nine local councilors requiring further explanation and investigation due to controversies and suspicious cases: 3 from the Jeonbuk Provincial Council, 2 from the Jeonju City Council, 1 each from the Gunsan City Council, Iksan City Council, Sunchang County Council, and Gochang County Council.

Among the provincial councilors, current Chairperson Song Ji-yong, who was involved in a power abuse controversy against council staff, along with Councilors Na Gi-hak and Park Yong-geun, were included in the collection of poor politicians.

Additionally, Jeongeup Mayor Yoo Jin-seop and Jangsu County Mayor Jang Young-su were also identified as controversial and suspicious politicians.

The Participatory Autonomy Citizens' Coalition emphasized, "It is against the common sense of citizens for poor politicians included in the collection to run in this local election," adding, "We have reached a point where the regional political culture that repeats the same mistakes through ad hoc judgments and political responses without fundamental reflection must be reformed."

Meanwhile, among the heads of organizations and local councilors included in the civic group's collection of poor politicians, as many as six passed the preliminary candidate qualification screening of the Democratic Party of Korea's Jeonbuk Provincial Party, raising controversy over "inadequate screening."

The Democratic Party of Korea's Jeonbuk Provincial Party has been conducting the qualification screening for preliminary candidates for the 8th nationwide local elections eight times from the 16th to the 24th of this month. Councilor Choi Chan-wook of the provincial council and former Jeonju City Councilor Park Hyung-bae, who were cited as serious poor politician cases by the civic group, received "qualified" decisions.

Also, Chairperson Song Ji-yong and Councilor Na Gi-hak of the provincial council, who were pointed out as controversial and suspicious cases, were given "qualified" decisions. Jeongeup Mayor Yoo Jin-seop and Jangsu County Mayor Jang Young-su also received screening results marked as "qualified."

Therefore, criticism is mounting that the Democratic Party of Korea's Jeonbuk Provincial Party's Public Election Candidate Verification Committee is ignoring the causes of defeat in the 20th presidential election and applying screening standards that are out of touch with the expectations of voters and civic groups.

Jeonju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr

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