Jang Man-chae "I Have Never Officially Supported Oh Ha-geun as a Preliminary Candidate"

Using Photo of Candidate Jang Man-chae Shaking Hands Before Primary Announcement for Release

Just before the announcement of the Democratic Party's first primary, preliminary candidate Oh Ha-geun is seen shaking hands with candidate Jang Man-chae.

[Suncheon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] It has been revealed that the endorsement of Oh Ha-geun by former candidate Jang Man-chae, who lost in the Democratic Party of Korea’s Suncheon mayoral primary, was not true.

Former candidate Jang stated on the 2nd, “I have never officially said that I would support candidate Oh Ha-geun.”

Candidate Oh immediately posted a photo of the two shaking hands on SNS right after the announcement of the first primary results on the 30th of last month and distributed a press release titled “Candidate Jang Man-chae endorses Oh Ha-geun for Suncheon mayor.”

According to Jang’s side, candidate Oh visited Jang’s campaign office around 10:50 a.m., just before the first primary results were announced, and the handshake photo taken at that time was promoted as an official endorsement.

Jang’s side also raised suspicions that candidate Oh might have visited the office already knowing the results.

Candidate Jang said, “I understand that key aides discussed this. I respect their judgment,” adding, “However, since I have once spoken, I will keep my word. There will be no separate endorsement toward candidate Oh Ha-geun.”

He continued, “In short, I feel like I was caught up in the opponent’s scheme. The decision on whom to support has been delegated to my key aides,” drawing a clear line.

Meanwhile, candidate Heo Seok read a letter through the general headquarters chief stating that “Although candidate Son Hun-mo, who unfortunately did not advance to the runoff, is physically and mentally exhausted, he supports candidate Heo Seok,” conveying ‘Son Hun-mo supports Heo Seok.’

The second primary opinion poll to select the Democratic Party candidate for Suncheon mayor is scheduled to be conducted on the 4th and 5th, with a fierce competition underway between candidates Oh Ha-geun and Heo Seok.

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