People Power Party Presidential Candidates Engage in 'Tension' Over 2nd Cutoff Vote Percentages

Candidates Yoon Seok-yeol (from left), Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, and Won Hee-ryong, who passed the second preliminary cut-off for selecting the People Power Party's presidential candidate. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] After the second cut-off in the People Power Party's presidential primary, candidates are engaged in a battle over the vote percentages.

On the 9th, Representative Hong Jun-pyo stated on Facebook, "Various conspiracy theories are rampant after the second primary."

He continued, "Each has different claims and accuses the other of fake news, but the primary is not over yet, and the final round is about a month away. Now, the number of responsible party members has increased to 530,000, and young voters hold the casting vote. I will definitely win," he said.

Both Representative Hong’s camp and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl’s camp claimed superiority in vote percentages following the second cut-off held the previous day. Different versions of vote percentage leaflets circulated regarding the two candidates competing for first and second place in the polls. The Election Commission explained, "According to Article 108, Paragraph 12 of the Public Official Election Act, the support rates and rankings of preliminary primary polls cannot be disclosed," adding, "The speculative figures being spread are not the results of the People Power Party’s second cut-off primary and constitute acts that violate the Public Official Election Act and undermine fair primaries."

However, Kim Kyung-jin, former lawmaker and full-time external cooperation special advisor for former Prosecutor General Yoon’s camp, appeared on JTBC and said, "I heard about it, but I don’t know how accurate it is. I heard that Candidate Yoon was about 4 percentage points ahead of Candidate Hong," sparking the dispute.

Representative Hong’s camp issued a spokesperson’s statement criticizing, "A certain media outlet reported rankings based on unconfirmed vote percentages as facts, causing confusion among the public and party members and misleading public opinion." They also urged, "We call on the People Power Party Election Commission to investigate the truth," emphasizing, "The party’s election commission must immediately intervene in the current situation and announce its position."

Former Representative Yoo Seung-min’s camp also released a statement demanding, "We request the People Power Party Election Commission to promptly investigate the truth and punish those responsible," criticizing, "If the election commission does not actively respond, it can only be seen as colluding with certain media outlets to manipulate the primary process for a specific candidate."

Meanwhile, the main primary to select the People Power Party’s presidential candidate includes former Prosecutor General Yoon, Representative Hong, former Representative Yoo, and former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong. Previously, the Election Commission conducted party member voting and opinion polls over two days, June 6-7. The ratio was 70% general opinion polls and 30% party member voting.