Ruling Party, Jin Gyo-hoon Accused of 'Illegal Business Card Distribution'... Loss of Position Even if Elected vs Opposition "Clear Falsehood"

As the ruling and opposition parties engage in a fierce election battle in the by-election for the mayor of Gangseo District, Seoul, they clashed strongly on the 6th over allegations of illegal distribution of business cards by Jin Gyo-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate's campaign.

Residents are moving to cast their votes at the early voting station set up at Banghwa 1-dong Community Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the 6th, the early voting day for the Gangseo District Mayor by-election. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On this day, the People Power Party's Party Affairs Audit Committee announced that it plans to file a complaint against candidate Jin with the Gangseo Police Station on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act (illegal election campaigning). Earlier, the People Power Party reported to the Central Election Commission after receiving a tip that Jin's campaign was illegally distributing his business cards in commercial areas.

Yoo Sang-beom, the senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, stated in a commentary, "Yesterday, the day before early voting, illegal activities by Jin's campaign were caught by the People Power Party's fair election monitoring team." He added, "The submitted photos and videos clearly show a person wearing a jumper labeled as Jin's spouse, along with another campaign worker, unlawfully throwing and scattering business cards in commercial areas. Business cards were even placed inside closed stores and unmanned shops." He continued, "Jin's campaign's actions are illegal acts that cannot be overlooked," and urged "the Central Election Commission and investigative agencies to conduct swift and strict investigations."

The People Power Party emphasized that even if Jin is elected, he could lose his position. Shin Ju-ho, the full-time deputy spokesperson, said in a statement the previous day, "This could constitute illegal election campaigning under the Public Official Election Act," and warned, "Even if Jin is elected, an unprecedented situation could arise where a 'by-election of a by-election' occurs, causing him to lose the mayoral position."

However, Jin's campaign rebutted, stating, "This does not constitute grounds for disqualification."

In a statement released that day, Jin's campaign said, "The People Power Party commented that the method of distributing business cards could be considered illegal election campaigning under Article 254, Paragraph 2 and Article 255, Paragraph 2 of the Public Official Election Act, and that even if Jin is elected, an unprecedented 'by-election of a by-election' could occur causing him to lose the mayoral position. However, violations related to the distribution of business cards by persons other than the candidate (violation of Article 255, Paragraph 2 of the Public Official Election Act) do not constitute grounds for disqualification of the candidate under the Public Official Election Act."

They added, "Cases where violations by persons other than the candidate, such as spouses or campaign workers, lead to the candidate's disqualification are limited to 'bribery and inducement crimes' and 'donation acts' under the Public Official Election Act, and 'illegal political fund receipt' under the Political Funds Act."

Furthermore, they stated, "The People Power Party's comment that Jin could lose the mayoral position even if elected is a clear falsehood," and said, "The facts regarding the distribution of business cards, which the People Power Party is raising as an issue, will be confirmed later through an investigation by the Central Election Commission."