Park Hyung-jun, the Future United Party's election committee chairman, is entering the press conference room on the 13th at the National Assembly to hold an emergency press conference. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] Park Hyung-jun, the General Election Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, announced on the 13th that Cha Myung-jin, the Bucheon Byeong candidate who caused controversy with his 'Sewol Ferry ㅇㅇㅇ' remarks, has been decided to be expelled from the Supreme Council. This decision was made based on the judgment that the election situation is unfavorable to the extent that even the constitutional amendment prevention line is at risk.
On the same day, Park held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and said, "After conducting various internal polls and analyzing the situation over the weekend, we felt a very serious sense of crisis."
Park said, "We plan to promptly proceed with the expulsion of candidate Cha," adding, "We will convene the Supreme Council without the Ethics Committee as soon as possible to make the decision."
He pointed out, "We reviewed why such incidents occurred over the past two weeks. There were various issues, but the most serious issue was indeed candidate Cha Myung-jin," and added, "Analysis of the situation showed a strong trend of the 30s and 40s age group and moderate voters moving away. I want to ask candidate Cha, who exactly are you campaigning for?"
He continued, "I strongly want to reprimand how he plans to take responsibility for his inappropriate remarks and subsequent actions," and added, "Chairman Kim Jong-in, Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn, and all members of the Central Election Committee expressed regret and decided that they cannot overlook the recurrence of controversy."
He said, "Most Supreme Council members are currently campaigning on site, so it will take some time to convene, but we will handle this as quickly as possible," and added, "If the expulsion is carried out, we will immediately notify the Election Commission."
Earlier, the Ethics Committee recommended that candidate Cha leave the party. However, Chairman Park said, "It was interpreted that expulsion at the Supreme Council level is possible even without going through the Ethics Committee," and added, "The United Future Party operates under a unitary collective leadership system, and all authority over party management is given to the Supreme Council, so the decision can be made immediately."
Regarding the fallout from candidate Cha's 'ㅇㅇㅇ' remarks, Chairman Park said, "The impact seems to be greater than we initially thought," and added, "From the perspective of respecting legal procedures, the recommendation to leave the party was seen as effectively equivalent to expulsion, but since he acted as if he had been exempted during the election campaign, it seems to have caused more negative effects."
Regarding the ruling coalition's claim of '180 seats,' he said, "Until the weekend, I thought it might be an exaggerated claim, but after today's strategic assessment, it was not an exaggeration," and added, "I believe the public needs to know how serious the situation is, so I spoke out."
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