Goo Inmo, Geochang County Governor Candidate, Declares Independent Run and Directly Criticizes Shin Sungbum

"Non-Intervention in Nomination Was a Lie...

No Nominee for Geochang Governor Is Political Manipulation and a Betrayal of the People"

On May 14 at 2 p.m., Goo Inmo, an independent candidate for the county governor of Geochang, held a press conference at his election office in Geochang-eup, officially announcing his departure from the People Power Party and declaring his independent candidacy, directly targeting National Assembly member Shin Sungbum and the nomination process of the People Power Party.

At the press conference, candidate Goo stated, "The situation in which there was no nomination for the Geochang governor is a political ploy tainted by irresponsibility, incompetence, foul play, and suspicion," adding, "I will stand against those who have destroyed fairness and common sense, and be judged by the citizens of the county."

In particular, Goo sharply criticized Assemblyman Shin Sungbum by referring to his remarks at a press meeting last year, where Shin declared 'non-intervention in the nomination process,' saying, "In the end, it was a lie that deceived the people of Geochang."

[Photo by Choi Soonkyung] Independent candidate for Geochang County Governor, Gu Inmo, held a press conference at 2 p.m. on the 14th at the Geochang-eup campaign office, officially announcing his departure from the People Power Party and independent candidacy, directly targeting National Assembly member Shin Seongbum and the People Power Party's nomination process.

Goo further argued, "At the press conference in July last year, Assemblyman Shin Sungbum read aloud the People Power Party's constitution and bylaws, publicly declaring, 'We will follow the will of the people through a 100% primary,' 'Rumors of a prearranged nomination or favoritism are groundless,' and 'I will not intervene in the nomination process.' However, the result was the complete opposite."

He continued, "In the history of Geochang politics, this is unprecedented: three rounds of primaries and nomination reversals, a court injunction, and ultimately, the disgraceful outcome of being the only district in Gyeongnam without a nomination. The so-called non-intervention principle was just political rhetoric and is no different from a massive fraud against the people and party members."

Goo also said, "Even before the primary began, suspicions of the leakage of the responsible party members' roster erupted, which led to the postponement of the nomination announcement, a re-primary, and legal disputes. The core issue is the suspected leakage of party member lists and personal information crimes, yet no one took responsibility, nor was there any effort to reveal the truth."

He added, "There is growing public suspicion that the extreme decision to not field a candidate was made to favor and protect certain candidates embroiled in these allegations," directly criticizing, "What are you afraid of that you cover up the truth and avoid responsibility?"

Goo was also fiercely critical of the central party's candidate recommendation committee's primary process.

He stated, "The central party's recommendation committee claimed to proceed with candidate registration and the primary, but the other candidates, except for myself, did not even register. Common sense dictates that if a candidate does not register, it should be considered a withdrawal and the sole registered candidate should be nominated."

He went on, "Citizens and party members are asking why the primary was canceled and a no-nomination decision was pushed through just to save candidates who did not even show up. It must be made clear who this no-nomination benefits and whose interests this politics serves."

He also said, "Geochang, known as the heart of conservatism, has now become the only district in Gyeongnam without a nomination, tarnishing its honor. The anger of the 60,000 citizens is boiling over as their pride and the honor of Geochang conservatives have been trampled in this situation."

At the press conference, Goo defined this election as 'an election to restore fairness and common sense.'

He stated, "This election is not simply a county governor race, but a judgment day to correct the absence of politics, the breakdown of the primary, foul play, and favoritism. I will unite the divided public sentiment and party spirit to achieve victory."

He further said, "While some are focused on slander and defamation, I will dedicate all my efforts to presenting a blueprint for the next 50 years of Geochang and ushering in an era of happiness for our citizens. Through unity, harmony, and balanced development, I will ensure that the results speak for themselves."

Finally, Goo appealed for support by saying, "Although I am leaving the party temporarily, I have not abandoned the spirit of the People Power Party. I will return through the choice of the people and party members to complete the halted development of Geochang."

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