jasdooit

On the 4th, the Democratic Party of Korea stated that it considers the claims about financial activities connected to nominations involving Rep. Kang Sun-woo and former floor leader Kim Byung-kee as “personal misconduct” and has no intention to examine the whole nomination procedure.

Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae provided a media update at the National Assembly on that day, addressing inquiries about whether the party intends to carry out further examinations into claims of financial dealings involving Rep. Kang and former floor leader Kim during the 2022 local elections and the 2020 general elections.

Secretary-General Cho remarked, “These claims are viewed as isolated incidents involving certain staff members rather than indicating broader problems. We are not at this time looking into the whole nomination process.” He further noted, “It seems there were no widespread issues within the entire nomination system.”

Previous floor leader Kim was once charged with accepting and subsequently returning financial gifts from former Dongjak District Council members before the 2020 general elections. Lee Soo-jin, a former representative who did not get re-nominated in the 2024 general elections, recently stated that he had filed a petition outlining these accusations to Kim Hyun-ji, an assistant in the office of then-party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung.

Rep. Kang departed the party on the 1st, following claims that he accepted 100 million South Korean won from former candidate Kim Kyung, a member of the Seoul City Council, before the 2022 local elections, and was subsequently removed from the party.

Concerning the issue of whether the claims about financial dealings involving former floor leader Kim during the 2020 general elections are within the scope of the party’s Ethics Inspection Team and Ethics Tribunal, Secretary-General Cho stated, “Although the details of these allegations have not been verified, the Ethics Tribunal should thoroughly review the accusations. If required, it may initiate an official investigation, and such processes are anticipated to move forward.”

He said, “No matter what the police investigation reveals, the Ethics Tribunal will independently decide on disciplinary measures against former floor leader Kim as quickly as possible.” On the People Power Party’s request for a special prosecutor to examine the allegations related to Kim Byung-kee and Kang Sun-woo’s nominations, he remarked, “We are not taking into account the possibility of a special prosecutor.”

The Democratic Party intends to enhance its structured nomination system, focusing on providing primary election chances, a strategy advocated by leader Jung Chung-rae, considering these accusations.

UN Secretary-General Cho said, “Even if there are no structural problems, we acknowledge that these claims emerged because of certain shortcomings or gaps. We will adhere to the principle of eliminating parachute appointments and guarantee a minimum number of primary election opportunities to avoid unfair exclusions.”

Concerning the procedure through which City Council member Kim Kyung, who is accused of giving financial gifts to Rep. Kang Sun-woo during the 2022 local elections, received a single nomination, Secretary-General Cho stated, “Council member Kim was closely monitored for real estate speculation, and all three candidates were eliminated. In this scenario, unable to decide and under time pressure, the decision was made to consider the opinion of the regional committee chair (Rep. Kang) and proceed with a single nomination.”

Secretary-General Cho stated, “We do not think the two candidates who opposed Council member Kim had moral issues that justified their exclusion. At that time, the nomination process gave significant weight to the regional committee chair’s opinion. This time, nominations will be carried out according to established standards and principles.”