Chungnam Democratic Party Urges Park Sangdon, Mayor of Cheonan, to Resign Instead of Filing an Appeal

Through a statement:
"An irresponsible act that makes a by-election difficult"

Park Sangdon, mayor of Cheonan, is waiting for a vehicle in front of the Daejeon High Court immediately after the retrial verdict on the 17th.

The Chungnam Provincial Branch of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 20th called for the immediate resignation of Cheonan Mayor Park Sangdon, who was sentenced to forfeiture of his office in a retrial for violating the Public Official Election Act.

The Democratic Party stated in a statement that day, "It has been confirmed through the media that Mayor Park intends to delay the process by filing an appeal," and argued, "If he plans to appeal, it is an extremely arrogant and irresponsible decision."

They further pointed out, "The Supreme Court has already found him guilty of using public officials for electioneering," and added, "Even if he files another appeal, the chances of a different outcome are slim."

They continued, "If Mayor Park considers the damage caused to citizens by the administrative confusion, he should resign immediately rather than appeal," criticizing, "Mayor Park's appeal would only keep the city in turmoil and make even a by-election difficult, which is an irresponsible act."

Previously, Mayor Park was put on trial on charges of using his status as a public official for electioneering during the 8th nationwide local elections in 2022, and for omitting the population standard when listing the city’s unemployment and employment rates in campaign materials.

The retrial court on the 17th stated, "According to the law, the parts confirmed by the Supreme Court cannot be reconsidered even if new arguments are made," and "For the charge of using public officials for electioneering, only a prison sentence can be imposed," sentencing him to six months in prison, suspended for two years.

If Mayor Park does not appeal, or if the Supreme Court finalizes the sentence by the 28th of next month, a by-election will be held on April 2.

So far, Mayor Park's appeal has not been submitted to the court, and the submission deadline is the 24th.