Park Ji-hyun "No Need to Amend Party Rules... Kim Dong-yeon Also Participates in Primary After Party Committee Approval"

Immediate Rebuttal to 'Favoritism Controversy' Within the Party
Woo Sang-ho: "It Should Be Discussed in the Emergency Committee"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Former co-chair of the Democratic Party Emergency Committee, Park Ji-hyun, rebutted internal party controversy over her eligibility to run in the party leader election this August, stating that "there is no need to amend the party rules."

On the 3rd, Park posted on Facebook, "The claim that the party constitution and rules must be amended for my candidacy is false news. It can be handled according to the proviso in the party rules stating ‘it can be otherwise decided by resolution of the Party Affairs Committee.’"

She added, "In fact, under this regulation, candidate Kim Dong-yeon also participated in the Gyeonggi Province governor primary after resolutions by the Emergency Committee and the Party Affairs Committee during the local elections. I do not request any amendments to the party constitution or rules for my sake under any circumstances. Please handle it according to the party rules, and I will abide by the result."

According to the Democratic Party’s constitution and rules, the right to be elected is granted only to party members with voting rights, but it can be otherwise decided by resolution of the Party Affairs Committee. Voting rights are granted to members who joined the party at least six months prior to the exercise of rights.

Regarding this, Emergency Committee member Woo Sang-ho said in an interview with KBS on the same day, "Since there is no eligibility to run according to the party constitution and rules, this issue needs to be discussed among the Emergency Committee members."

Inside and outside the party, controversy has arisen over her eligibility to run. On the same day, Representative Kim Nam-guk criticized on Facebook, "It is really absurd that she has decided to run despite not even meeting the candidacy requirements, let alone the eligibility to run for party leader, and is asking for a special exception only for herself. Emphasizing strict principles to others while demanding special privileges for herself is far from the ‘youth politics’ that rejects privilege and stresses fair competition."

Kim Bin, former administrative officer of the Presidential Office Digital Communication Center, also criticized former co-chair Park on the same day, calling it "ugly," and said, "According to the party constitution and rules, unless one is a legitimate party member who has not defaulted on party dues for more than six months, one cannot run not only for party leader but also for the Supreme Council."

Former Democratic Party spokesperson for the election committee, Hyun Geun-taek, also raised concerns, saying, "To grant the right to be elected to someone who is not a voting member, the party constitution and rules must be amended. Claiming that exceptions can be recognized by the Emergency Committee is wrong. Should the party constitution and rules be amended for a specific person?"