National Human Rights Commission Acknowledges Song Jiyong Provincial Assembly Speaker's Abuse of Power... Candidate with Drunk Driving Record Also Controversial
[Wanju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] With Park Seong-il, the current county governor, deciding not to run for a third term, the Wanju county governor election, which was expected to be a fierce contest, is once again poised for upheaval.
One leading candidate, Song Ji-yong, chairman of the Jeonbuk Provincial Council, was recommended for disciplinary action and compensation payment by the National Human Rights Commission on the 31st of last month for making insulting remarks toward an employee. Meanwhile, another candidate is embroiled in controversy over a past DUI offense.
For Song, who had been leading in several opinion polls, the recent decision by the Human Rights Commission has inevitably dealt a serious political blow.
Song stated, “The Human Rights Commission’s decision only accepted the position of the complainant, the Provincial Council Secretariat Chief,” and expressed his intention to appeal through all legal procedures, including administrative litigation, to assert his innocence.
Nonetheless, considering the unusually strong nature of the Human Rights Commission’s recommendation, Song’s resistance is bound to appear weak.
Moreover, with the Democratic Party newly adding ‘workplace harassment and power abuse’ as criteria for candidate screening, Song’s position as a candidate for Wanju county governor is expected to become increasingly precarious.
Meanwhile, another preliminary candidate, A, has come under fire after a DUI record was revealed late during the Democratic Party Jeonbuk Provincial Party’s qualification screening process for public election candidates.
However, since A’s DUI incident occurred before the enforcement of the Yoon Chang-ho Act (December 18, 2018), it is reported that he passed the qualification screening.
Whether candidate A, with a DUI record, will pass the Democratic Party’s now stricter candidate screening remains uncertain.
As controversies over the qualifications of these two candidates arise, the upcoming Wanju county governor election is entering a phase where predicting the winner is impossible.
Meanwhile, five candidates are competing for the Wanju county governor position: Song Ji-yong, chairman of the Provincial Council; Guk Young-seok, head of the Gosan Nonghyup; Doo Se-hoon, former Jeonbuk Provincial Assembly member; Yoo Hee-tae, vice chairman of the Democratic Party Policy Committee; and Lee Don-seung of Wanju Education Governance.
Wanju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr
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