People Power Party Spokesperson Yang Jun-woo: "Ruling Party's Attacks on Choi Jae-hyung's Election Law Violation Are Petty"

Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, is greeting supporters on the 6th at Waegwan Market in Chilgok-gun, Gyeongbuk.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] The People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party of Korea, which issued a critical statement regarding former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung's 'election law violation controversy,' calling it "petty and embarrassing."

Yang Jun-woo, spokesperson for the People Power Party, posted a message titled "Pettiness" on his Facebook on the 9th, stating, "I understand it is election season, but please show some restraint."

He pointed out, "It is known that candidate Choi Jae-hyung spoke while holding a microphone at a recent event in Daegu, raising suspicions of election law violations," adding, "This is precisely a rookie political mistake." However, he also said, "Once the facts are confirmed, he can act accordingly."

According to Article 59, Paragraph 4 of the Public Official Election Act, using amplification devices such as microphones for election campaigning outdoors targeting multiple people outside the election period constitutes a violation of election law.

Spokesperson Yang further addressed the Democratic Party, saying, "While this could be an attack point for each candidate or campaign, I am not sure it is something that should be issued as an 'official party statement,'" and criticized, "There is a minimum level of decorum expected in party statements." Earlier, Democratic Party spokesperson Lee So-young issued a statement regarding former Chairman Choi's election law violation, saying, "We expect the Election Commission to make a strict and swift decision."

He concluded, "What value or meaning could there possibly be in a party statement that rushes to such a minor incident and says, 'We expect a strict and swift decision'?" and added, "We expect dignified statements. From a fifth-week rookie spokesperson."

Meanwhile, the former Chairman Choi's campaign issued a statement on the same day expressing regret over the controversy, saying, "Regardless of the reasons, we regret causing a dispute over election law violations," and pledged, "We will be careful to prevent even minor election law controversies from occurring in the future."