"Fairness of Cutoff Undermined" Gwangju Gwangsan (Eul) Democratic Party Preliminary Candidates' Head-Shaving Ceremony

Choi Chi-hyun "The 1:1 Contest Between Incumbents and Lowest-Ranked Candidates Is No Different from Single Nomination"

Kim Seong-jin "Suspected Interference and Lobbying by Powerful Incumbent Lawmakers"

Controversies Continue Over Exclusion

Choi Chi-hyun and Kim Sung-jin, preliminary candidates of the Democratic Party for Gwangsan-gu (Eul), Gwangju Metropolitan City, expressed doubts about the cut-off (exclusion from nomination) results and, following a protest visit to the Democratic Party central office, even carried out a head-shaving ceremony. On the 17th at 4 p.m., they held a ‘Head-shaving Ceremony and Press Conference to Condemn the Unfair and Deceptive Primary’ in front of the Democratic Party Gwangju City Party Office.

First, preliminary candidate Choi Chi-hyun pointed out the unfair primary process, saying, “Confirming the Democratic Party primary candidates for Gwangsan-gu (Eul) as incumbent lawmaker Min Hyung-bae and the lowest-ranking candidate Jeong Jae-hyeok is a deceptive primary aimed at a single nomination,” and added, “The Democratic Party primary, which was expected to be democratic and fair, has become a sham primary, essentially a single nomination disguised as a primary.”

He further stated, “Despite the incumbent lawmaker, who entered the National Assembly with tremendous support from Gwangju citizens, neglecting the region and indulging in self-serving politics with reckless remarks and exhausting political strife that pushed urgent local issues aside, he misled public opinion and used the media for his own political purposes as if he were a bodyguard protecting the party leader,” and reflected, “During the primary process, the central party’s guidelines to ‘prohibit public endorsement of candidates during the primary and maintain neutrality’ were ignored. Elected city and district council members were mobilized for his election promotion, and these council members blatantly posted promotional web flyers for the incumbent lawmaker in group chats and on social media. Watching this, I felt a sense of disgust toward real politics, as if the incumbent lawmaker had become a supreme ruler controlling the life and death of the council members elected by the local people.”

He also said, “This general election is an important turning point not only for the Democratic Party but for the entire nation’s aspiration to establish a democratic government, to definitely overthrow the ruthless Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution dictatorship,” and conveyed the local public sentiment, “In Gwangju and Gwangsan-gu (Eul), there is a widespread opinion that people who can work harder should be elected.”

He added, “For the Democratic Party not to become a naked emperor, it must clearly distinguish who are true loyalists and who are traitors,” and warned, “The alienation of public sentiment in Honam will be the cause of total defeat in the general election, and the hope for the democratic government that the people desire will not be realized. Please be aware that a single misjudgment and political greed can undermine the political foundation of the Republic of Korea.”

He said, “I ask the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party’s nomination committee to disclose the primary process in detail and provide convincing evidence,” and added, “Only by nurturing people who can sincerely serve the Republic of Korea, the people, and politics aimed at the people, not by trickery, can we complete democracy in Korea.”

Preliminary candidate Kim Sung-jin also declared that he would start an indefinite hunger strike from the next day while conducting a head-shaving protest to block the deceptive nomination that damages the Gwangju spirit, along with five supporters including former Gwangsan District Council Chairman Lee Young-hoon.

Candidate Kim said, “I stand here today with a burning heart,” and criticized, “The Democratic Party primary candidate screening results announced on the 15th were a single nomination disguised as a two-person primary, where fairness and common sense disappeared, seriously damaging the Gwangju spirit and democratic values.”

He continued, “The screening results announced on the 15th are neither reasonable, fair, nor just,” and said, “The democratic procedure has collapsed, and the fair process has been damaged.”

He also condemned, “The candidate confirmed for the primary along with the incumbent lawmaker in Gwangsan-gu (Eul) was a weak candidate with single-digit support who had never risen above last place in public opinion polls released by media outlets,” and said, “It is only nominally a two-person primary but in fact a single nomination and a disguised primary.”

Furthermore, he said, “Local voters and Gwangju citizens are angry at the incomprehensible screening results, and there are suspicions that the powerful incumbent lawmaker may have interfered or lobbied during the fair screening process,” and urged, “The party should clarify the truth through special inspection and strictly punish the unfair primary intervention by city and district council members.”

He added, “As a member of the Democratic Party and a citizen of Gwangju, I earnestly appeal to the Democratic Party to correct the deceptive nomination screening results of the 15th.”

Meanwhile, doubts are growing as the Democratic Party’s announced primary candidates for the Gwangju region have produced results difficult to understand not only for party members but also for citizens.

Unreasonable results have emerged, such as top-ranking preliminary candidates in opinion polls being eliminated while the lowest-ranking candidates advance to the primary.

In Dong-gu Nam-gu (Eul), former Dong-gu Mayor Kim Sung-hwan, who ranked high in various opinion polls among eight preliminary candidates, was cut off, and incumbent lawmaker Lee Byung-hoon and preliminary candidate Ahn Do-gul advanced to the primary. In Gwangsan-gu (Eul), preliminary candidates Choi Chi-hyun and Kim Sung-jin, who maintained second and third place in opinion polls, were excluded from nomination, and a two-person primary was announced between incumbent lawmaker Min Hyung-bae and preliminary candidate Jeong Jae-hyeok, who had single-digit support.

Earlier, the first announced primary for Gwangju Dong-gu Nam-gu (Gap) was also controversial. In Dongnam Gap, preliminary candidates Noh Hyung-wook and Oh Kyung-hoon, who ranked second and third in various opinion polls, were cut off, and preliminary candidate Jeong Jin-wook, who ranked first, and incumbent lawmaker Yoon Young-duk, who hovered in the lower ranks, were confirmed as primary candidates.

Moreover, among the eight electoral districts in Gwangju, except for Seo-gu (Eul), which was designated as a strategic electoral district, Seo-gu (Gap) and Gwangsan-gu (Gap) have not yet been announced. The nomination method for the strategic electoral district Seo-gu (Eul) has also not been disclosed, causing confusion.

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