Jung Byung-guk: "The Nomination Scandal Will Ultimately Be the Responsibility of Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn"

On the morning of the 26th, the first day of candidate registration for the 21st National Assembly election, Hwang Kyo-ahn, the candidate from the United Future Party running in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is giving his remarks after completing candidate registration at the Jongno-gu Election Commission. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Jeong Byeong-guk, a member of the Future United Party, stated that party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn should take responsibility for the recent series of incidents surrounding the candidate nominations.

On the 27th, Jeong appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "You have done well so far, but I don't quite understand why it ended up like this at the last moment."

Earlier, the Future United Party's Supreme Council canceled the nominations for four districts decided by the nomination committee and overturned the nomination results in some areas, including Yeonsu-eul in Incheon. It is analyzed that this was to establish a 'pro-Hwang system.' Regarding this, Jeong also expressed on Facebook that it was a "terrible situation, a feeling of being deceived."

Jeong suggested that personal greed played a role in the nomination incident, saying, "If no personal greed or the selfishness of other members was involved, I don't understand why such actions were taken."

However, he pointed out that the establishment of a pro-Hwang system, as some have suggested, was not the cause. Jeong explained, "Looking at the current nomination results, the so-called pro-Hwang faction is almost nonexistent. Changing two or three seats does not change the situation. Just because Leader Hwang Kyo-ahn changed four districts at the last moment does not mean a pro-Hwang system was established, so it is truly regrettable why such a decision was made."

He evaluated that the nomination committee operated objectively this time. Jeong said, "Looking at the nomination process carried out by this committee, it was still objective and unlike any previous committees, no dark hand of a particular individual was involved. The nomination committee's ability to produce such results was largely due to Leader Hwang Kyo-ahn's efforts, so I don't understand why he ended up taking all the blame at the last moment."

He added, "During Kim Hyung-o's leadership, when Nomination Committee Chairman Kim Hyung-o resigned midway, the committee lost its center. In this process of losing its center, the party leadership must have raised various issues, right? They failed to regain another center, and I cannot shake off the thought that personal feelings might have been involved."

Regarding the recruitment of former Democratic Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in as the election committee chairman, he said, "There were various issues during the process, but the effect of recruiting former Chairman Kim Jong-in is clear. No matter what anyone says, he was a key figure in the birth of the Moon Jae-in government, so he knows that government best, and therefore, his effect will definitely be significant."

When asked whether the 'Kim Jong-in effect' would resonate with voters, he replied, "The public is also wondering, 'Why is someone who was a key figure in the birth of the Moon Jae-in government coming here again?' Amid the COVID-19 situation, the tyranny and various problems of the Moon Jae-in government, which had been covered up, will be effectively exposed."

Regarding whether former Chairman Kim would remain in the party and play a role after the election, he said, "I don't think so. Even if he intends to do so, it is not possible. Since he has experienced this several times before, I don't think he will make such a mistake this time either."