'Daegu Lawmaker' Kwak Sang-do, Controversy Over Seoul Mayoral Vote Certification... Ruling Party: "Do You Only Visit Your Constituency During Elections?"

Gwak Sang-do, a member of the People Power Party representing Daegu, has been criticized by his constituency after certifying his vote in the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] Kwak Sang-do, a member of the People Power Party representing Daegu, has sparked controversy by certifying his vote in the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election.

On the 7th, Kwak posted on his Facebook, "Today is the 2021 re-election and by-election day," and stated, "I have completed voting for the Seoul mayoral election at the 3rd polling station set up at the Jangmi Apartment Senior Center in Songpa-gu."

He encouraged voting by saying, "Please do not give up on the future of Seoul, the future of Busan, and the future of the Republic of Korea," and added, "The power to change the future comes from voting. Please show the power of the people through voting."

While the message encouraging voting itself was not problematic, criticism arose within Daegu after it was revealed that Kwak, who was re-elected in Jung-gu and Nam-gu of Daegu, has a registered address in Seoul.

In particular, Kwak currently serves as the chairman of the People Power Party Daegu City Committee and is considering running in next year's Daegu mayoral election, so the "Seoul resident certification" has been viewed unfavorably.

Voices of criticism also came from the ruling party. On the 7th, Lee Jae-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on his Facebook, "Did you urgently move (to Seoul) to participate in this by-election, or have you actually been residing in Seoul and only visited your constituency during elections as a short-term seasonal worker?" and demanded, "An explanation is needed."

According to public official asset declarations, Kwak owns an apartment in Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, under his name, and his spouse owns a detached house in Daemyeong-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu.

Under the current Public Official Election Act, candidates for local council members or local government heads must have been registered residents in the relevant area for at least 60 days, but for members of the National Assembly, as long as they meet the age requirement of being 25 years or older and are citizens, they can run.

Regarding this, Kwak's side explained to News1, "Due to personal reasons, I temporarily moved my address to Songpa-gu, Seoul two months ago," and added, "I plan to move my address back to Daegu soon."