Candidate Seong Bobin for Changwon City Council Election Apologizes for Drunk Driving, Unlicensed Driving, and Military Disparagement

“I will keep reflecting and work harder” Apology on a YouTube Channel

[Image source=YouTube, screen capture from a certain channel]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Se-ryeong Lee] Seong Bo-bin, a candidate from the People Power Party running for the Seongsan District Council election in Changwon City, Gyeongnam in June, is facing controversy over past derogatory remarks about the military and a history of drunk and unlicensed driving.

It has been revealed that Seong, who is running in the Sangnam-dong, Sapa-dong, and Daebang-dong electoral district of Changwon City, was fined 3 million KRW and 1.5 million KRW respectively for drunk driving and unlicensed driving in the past.

The candidate, who is currently also a Youth Policy Advisory Committee member at the Military Manpower Administration, was found to have made derogatory remarks about the military on social networks in the past.

A Facebook screenshot showed posts saying, “Is the military even a military these days?” and “Having heard daily stories about military life from peers, seniors, and older brothers, seeing the current state of the military, it seems the world has gotten really messed up.”

Some voters criticized Seong’s qualifications as a candidate, pointing out that despite his past fines for drunk and unlicensed driving, he served as the head of the Busan Citizens’ Movement Headquarters to widely promote the Yoon Chang-ho Act, and also made derogatory remarks about the military.

In response to the controversy, Seong, who halted all election campaigning, recently expressed remorse during a phone interview on a certain YouTube channel.

He said, “About four years ago, while working under difficult conditions, I was looking for another job, and politics wasn’t going well. I think those remarks came out during a fight on a temporary account, presumed to be by a specific person, about the military.”

The YouTube host pointed out, “Derogatory remarks about the military are often used to belittle men under the pretext of women’s rights. The issue is not whether one is a feminist or not, but that it is wrong for someone who has not served to say such things.”

Regarding his history of drunk and unlicensed driving, Seong said, “Unlike in my early twenties, I have become afraid of the law and have firmly developed the notion that even the smallest rules and laws must be followed. To reflect on my past, since the passage of the Yoon Chang-ho Act in 2018, I have personally funded street campaigns to eradicate drunk driving and made donations.”

The host remarked, “As a voter, I wonder who you can educate when you have a criminal record yourself. Doing everything yourself and telling others not to is hypocrisy.”

Seong responded, “I am truly sorry. Until I die, I will continue to reflect, repent, and regret, and I will apologize on my knees to everyone I meet. Please continue to criticize and admonish me.”

The host advised, “While I empathize with the emotional hurt caused by reasonable criticism as you are human, as a politician, it is unforgivable. Politicians are public figures and must be prepared to accept all criticism.”

Seong Bo-bin is considered the youngest candidate running for the People Power Party in the Changwon City Council in the nationwide local elections this June.

He served as the youth spokesperson for the Liberty Korea Party, was a special youth advisor to Assemblyman Kang Ki-yoon, the secretary of the Health and Welfare Committee of the People Power Party, and the next-generation female chairperson of the Changwon Seongsan District Party Members’ Council.

He ran twice as a preliminary candidate for the Busan Saha District Council in 2018 for the Liberty Korea Party and in 2020 for the United Future Party but did not receive party nomination.