Ham Jingyu: "Referees Becoming Players? Supreme Council Members Running in Local Elections Must Resign"

On April 13, former Assemblyman Ham Jinkyu, who is running in the People Power Party’s primary for Gyeonggi Province governor in the 9th Nationwide Local Elections scheduled for June 3, said, "Please have the Supreme Council member (who is running in the election) resign and promise a fair primary," adding, "I also urge the party's Ethics Committee to begin disciplinary action in response to the recent undermining of fairness."

At a press conference held that afternoon at the National Assembly Communication Center, Ham stated, "It is a violation of the game’s rules when members of the Supreme Council—who lead the party’s decision-making—become players by running for metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial positions." Currently, Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won is running in the North Gyeongsang Province governor primary, while Supreme Council members Yang Hyang-ja and Cho Gwang-han have entered the race for Gyeonggi Province governor.

Yonhap News Agency

Ham also said, "Former Nomination Committee Chairperson Lee Jung-hyun courted former Assemblyman Yoo Seung-min, who had previously expressed his intention not to run, while ignoring other applicants. There were even rumors about drafting a candidate who had failed in Daegu," adding, "In particular, the Supreme Council meeting on the 9th devolved into an unseemly campaign ground."

He continued, "Turning the party’s Supreme Council into a platform for slander and self-promotion is an anti-democratic act that tramples on the nomination rules," stressing, "The People Power Party’s party constitution and regulations lacking such provisions cannot possibly serve as a political exemption."

Regarding how he would respond if these demands are not met, Ham said, "If things are not corrected, I will take my own measures."

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