Former Police Agency Deputy Chief Jin Gyo-hoon Criticizes Opposition's Strategic Nomination
"Former District Mayor Kim Tae-woo's Embezzlement Allegations Are Not a Scandal"
Former lawmaker Kim Sung-tae criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's decision to strategically nominate former Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency Jin Gyo-hoon for the upcoming by-election for the Gangseo District Mayor position next month, calling it a "forced Geumgyeong (prosecutor-police) frame."
In an interview on June 6 with BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' Kim said, "In the case of the Democratic Party, 13 candidates competed to become district mayor, but they were all cut off, and Jin Gyo-hoon was strategically nominated." He implied that the Democratic Party aimed to create a prosecutor-police confrontation, being mindful of former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo, a prominent candidate from the People Power Party.
Former Mayor Kim, who was a former prosecutor investigator, served as a member of the Blue House Special Inspection Team during the Moon Jae-in administration but was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence by the Supreme Court after exposing allegations related to the Special Inspection Team in 2018. As a result, he lost his mayoral position in May but was reinstated through a special pardon on Liberation Day in August, just three months after his conviction was finalized. Former Mayor Kim has expressed his intention to run again in the Gangseo District Mayor by-election next month.
Former lawmaker Kim explained, "Until now, our party leadership has generally kept the promise under Article 39 of the party regulations that if a by-election occurs due to our party's fault, we will not field a candidate. However, in this case (former Mayor Kim), it is neither a violation of the Public Official Election Act nor did he cause controversy through embezzlement or breach of trust. The pardon and reinstatement were made from the perspective of protecting internal whistleblowers."
He continued, "The Democratic Party used Jin Gyo-hoon’s strategic nomination as a means to create a forced Geumgyeong frame," emphasizing, "The People Power Party’s candidate selection process is a highly democratic procedure that allows the Gangseo residents to ensure continuity in district administration."
He added, "Although the Democratic Party created this Geumgyeong frame, if candidates are selected through procedures and methods that candidates can accept and understand rather than unilateral party decisions, this by-election is definitely a contest worth competing in."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
