[Exclusive] Independent Choi Kyung-hwan Campaigning with People Power Party Badge Faces Election Law Violation Investigation

Former independent Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Kyung-hwan, who declared his candidacy in the Gyeongsan area of Gyeongbuk, has sparked controversy over election law violations after being caught campaigning with promotional materials bearing the People Power Party logo. Choi was expelled from the People Power Party due to his involvement in the state affairs manipulation scandal during the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and has not been reinstated since.

Election promotional material for former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Kyung-hwan, who declared his candidacy as an independent in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, for the April 10 general election, was posted on Facebook on the afternoon of the 22nd with the People Power Party logo but was deleted after being sanctioned by the Election Commission.
[Photo by Facebook screenshot]

According to a compilation of reports by Asia Economy on the 30th, a promotional material for the general election featuring the People Power Party logo on the left was posted on Facebook around 3 p.m. on the 22nd, with the phrase “Want in Gyeongsan. Pick Choi Kyung-hwan. Please be sure to answer the survey calls.” The promotional material posted online quickly spread through Facebook and Band by supporters and voters of former Deputy Prime Minister Choi via copying and capturing, and continued to be exposed on social networking services (SNS) for 2 to 3 days thereafter.

As accusations arose that Choi, who does not hold membership in the People Power Party, was impersonating as a member of the party to campaign, the Election Commission confirmed the matter with the People Power Party’s Gyeongbuk Provincial Party Committee and requested Choi’s campaign to delete the promotional material. The material has since been deleted.

Under current election law, if Choi created promotional materials implying he was a member of the People Power Party with the intent to win the election and spread false information, it constitutes a violation of election law. The Election Commission is investigating whether Choi knowingly included the People Power Party logo in the promotional materials to deliberately disseminate false information despite not being a party member. The People Power Party’s Gyeongsan Party Member Council is also considering filing a police complaint, viewing this as a potential election law violation.

Choi’s campaign stated that the problematic promotional post was not created by him personally but was a simple mistake by campaign staff who had been members of the People Power Party for over 20 years. They explained that the staff received a draft of an election promotional post from a People Power Party lawmaker with whom they had a close relationship and simply entrusted the production company to create it as is, resulting in an inadvertent incident.

Gyeongsan in Gyeongbuk is a constituency where Choi served four consecutive terms from the 17th to the 20th National Assembly under the People Power Party banner. It is a region where Choi naturally has a strong will to win. To run in Gyeongsan, Choi registered his residence in November last year, opened a campaign office, and has been attending various local events.

Professor Cho Jin-man of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Duksung Women’s University said, “This could cause confusion among voters and lead to a loss of trust among supporters,” adding, “If the Election Commission treats this case as a mere ‘caution’ or ‘warning,’ similar incidents involving the dissemination of false information disguised as mistakes for election victory could occur again.”