Kim Ki-hyun: "'Son's Favoritism Controversy' Kim Se-hwan's Election Commission Resignation, a Ploy for Exoneration"

"Tail Cutting to Save Election Commissioner No Jeong-hee"
"Nationwide Local Elections Soon... Commissioner No Must Resign Immediately"

Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 14th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 16th, Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized the resignation of Kim Se-hwan, Secretary General of the Election Commission, saying, "They labeled the people asking about vote management as rioters, but when suspicions arose about his son’s special recruitment (special hiring), he announced his intention to resign, taking responsibility for poor vote management."

On the same day, Kim posted on his Facebook, stating, "Labeling the people's legitimate demands as 'riots' and quietly accepting the resignation of a person under suspicion of favoritism in his son's job transfer and promotion is a trick to grant immunity and merely scapegoating to save No Jeong-hee, the head of the Election Commission, who is the root cause of the flawed election," he said.

According to media reports, Kim’s son, Mr. Kim, raised suspicions of favoritism during his transfer from Ganghwa County Office to the Incheon City Election Commission in January 2020, as well as during his promotion and business trips. At the time of his son's transfer, Kim was the deputy secretary general of the Election Commission.

He said, "If the suspicions regarding his son are true, this is a clear illegal act and subject to criminal punishment," adding, "The relevant authorities must immediately start an investigation to uncover the truth behind the 'dad’s chance' suspicion. The resignation should not be accepted before that."

Kim also urged the immediate resignation of No, the head of the Election Commission. He pointed out, "No, who is perceived as a symbol of pro-Democratic Party bias and is a former member of the judiciary’s Hana Group ‘Uri Law Research Association,’ has faced questions about her qualifications since her appointment as a Supreme Court justice," adding, "She was also the main figure in a disaster where the Supreme Court ruling was overturned by lower courts because she did not properly read the legal provisions in a case she presided over. Moreover, she is the one who saved candidate Lee Jae-myung’s political life with a bizarre decision that 'lying is allowed in TV debates.'"

He continued, "With such a biased person occupying the position of Election Commission chair, she did not even think about going to work amid the ‘Sokuri voting’ confusion, and despite the chaos in early voting, she arrogantly only made a superficial apology days later under public pressure," emphasizing, "The nationwide simultaneous local elections will be held again in two months. The fastest way to restore the public’s lost trust in the Election Commission is for the biased and incompetent Chair No to resign."