"Penalty Application Is Clearly Unfair"
On the 31st, Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, announced his candidacy for mayor of Daegu at a press conference held in front of the Lee Sang-hwa statue at Suseong Lake in Daegu. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, officially declared his candidacy for the mayor of Daegu. When asked whether he would resign from his parliamentary seat upon running, he stated, "I will decide to resign after becoming mayor, so I will do so once I become mayor."
On the 31st, Hong held a press conference in front of the Lee Sang-hwa statue at Suseong Lake in Daegu and said, "I haven't even become mayor yet, so why should I resign as a member of the National Assembly? That is nonsense and disrespectful to the residents of Suseong-gu, my constituency. Asking me to resign before becoming mayor is not appropriate," expressing his position.
However, Hong's claim is practically impossible. According to Article 53, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph 3 of the Public Official Election Act, a member of the National Assembly must resign at least 30 days before the election date to run for a local government head election.
Another concern regarding a late resignation is the legislative vacancy. According to the National Election Commission, if Hong resigns by April 30, the by-election for Daegu Suseong-gu Eul under the Public Official Election Act will be held on the same day as the local elections, June 1. However, if he resigns on May 1 or 2, the election will be held on the first Wednesday of April the following year.
Meanwhile, regarding the People Power Party's 'local election penalty,' Hong expressed regret, saying, "The penalty application is clearly unfair. Although I cannot accept it, I have to accept it because otherwise, I cannot run. I acknowledge the penalty but cannot agree with it; I just have no choice but to accept it."
If the People Power Party's nomination penalty is applied, Hong will receive a total deduction of 25%, combining a 10% penalty for incumbent members and a 15% penalty for previous independent candidacy. However, the party's nomination management committee is currently considering reducing the penalties for incumbents and former independent candidates to 5% and 10%, respectively, and easing the maximum combined penalty to 10%.
Hong presented administrative reform as his main campaign pledge for the Daegu mayoral election. He stated, "The first thing I will do as mayor is administrative reform and reform of public institutions under the city. I will completely rectify everything anew," and added, "I will establish an administrative reform team and carry out a large-scale reform of Daegu city officials and public institutions over the course of one year."
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