Aftermath of the Democratic Party Jeonbuk Basic Local Government Head Primary Election Results

Controversy Over Gambling by Leading Primary Candidate... Flood of Reconsideration Requests in Jeonju, Wanju, and Others

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hanho] The Jeonbuk Provincial Party Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea (Chairman Kim Seongju) announced the results of the Jeonbuk basic local government chief primaries on the 27th of this month, but controversies surrounding the candidates who ranked first have not easily subsided.

In particular, in the Wanju County Governor primary, the candidate who ranked first is accused of habitual gambling, and in the Jeonju mayoral primary, the candidate who ranked first is embroiled in a party-damaging (haedang) controversy, leading to successive requests for reexamination from candidates who tasted defeat.

Du Sehun, a preliminary candidate for Wanju County Governor, stated in a press release on the 28th, “The majority of Wanju residents participated in the ARS phone primary on the morning of the first day (the 25th) without knowing about the habitual gambling allegations against candidate Guk Yeongseok,” adding, “If the media or the People Power Party make the habitual gambling allegations an issue, more than four out of the 14 city and county heads in Jeonbuk will be defeated amid anti-Democratic Party sentiment among voters disappointed with the Democratic Party’s nominations.”

He further emphasized, “The Democratic Party’s Central Ethics Committee and the Public Office Candidate Recommendation Reexamination Committee must clearly investigate the related incidents, and if the habitual gambling allegations are proven true, the reexamination should be accepted.”

Earlier, preliminary candidate Lee Donsung also expressed his intention to request a reexamination, stating, “Candidate Guk Yeongseok has issues regarding suitability due to habitual gambling allegations,” and “The central party must make a judgment that meets the moral standards and fairness expected by the residents.”

Candidate Guk Yeongseok, who ranked first with 45.13% of the vote in the primary, was reported to the party’s Public Office Candidate Recommendation Management Committee for habitual gambling involving several tens of millions of won as the head of the Gosan Nonghyup cooperative, but after controversy, he passed the preliminary candidate verification.

Additionally, on the 25th of this month, a photo showing cash piled up and gambling around 2017 was released through internet media, causing a significant stir.

It has been revealed that the party’s Public Office Candidate Recommendation Management Committee was fully aware of candidate Guk’s habitual gambling controversy, leading to ongoing debates.

After candidate Guk’s gambling photo was made public by the media, Yoon Junbyung, chairman of the party’s Public Office Candidate Recommendation Management Committee, stated on SNS, “If the photo had been submitted along with the tip (recording), I believe there would have been a different decision regarding recommending candidate Guk as a primary candidate.”

Moreover, candidate Guk is also facing allegations of drunk driving and a criminal record (three offenses) as a public official.

Candidate Guk Yeongseok explained, “There are many distorted parts in the media reports, and I believe the timing and intent of the reports are malicious,” adding, “I will request a credible national institution to verify the facts and clarify the truth.”

Regarding the Jeonju mayoral primary, the past remarks of candidate Woo Beomgi, who ranked first, are spreading as a ‘haedang’ (party-damaging) controversy.

On the 25th of this month, candidate Woo declared a policy alliance with Im Jeongyeop, who was cut off from the Democratic Party primary, and when asked, “If you are eliminated in the Democratic Party primary, will you help candidate Im?” he replied, “I will keep all options open.”

In response, preliminary candidate Jo Jihoon, who ranked second in the primary, stated on the 28th, “Saying that you might help someone who hinted at running as an independent to gain votes from independent supporters is clearly a party-damaging act,” and announced his intention to request a reexamination from the central party.

Candidate Woo maintains that it is a pure policy alliance.

As controversies over the qualifications of candidates who ranked first in the primaries arise, public attention is focused on the Democratic Party’s emergency committee’s decision regarding the reexamination requests.

If the Democratic Party emergency committee refuses to approve the primary results, the respective region must finalize the candidate through methods such as a re-primary, nominating the second-place candidate, or strategic nomination.

Jeonju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hanho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr

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