Jeon Hae-cheol: "This is the first time there have been so many issues raised about the Democratic Party's nominations... Evaluation criteria must be disclosed"

"Lawmakers Must Provide a Convincing Explanation"

Jeon Hae-cheol, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, demanded a responsible response from the party leadership regarding the escalating nomination conflicts. He pointed out that if the issues raised resonate with party members or the public, they should be explained; ignoring them could lead to unfavorable outcomes for everyone.

On the 23rd, Jeon appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and said, "This is not the first time for this kind of lawmaker evaluation; it was done in the 19th, 20th, and now the 21st National Assembly," adding, "However, there has never been such a large number of lawmakers publicly raising issues as this time."

Jeon Hae-cheol, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He continued, "The evaluation results are neither transparent nor fair. There is substantial basis for these criticisms," and said, "Although the floor leader promised at the members' meeting on the 21st to take responsibility and consult with the nomination committee chair to address the lawmakers' concerns and issues, they have yet to provide explanations or convincing grounds to the concerned lawmakers."

Jeon stated, "For example, in the case of lawmaker Park Yong-jin, who raised objections, there are procedures such as providing an opportunity for explanation or review according to the party's constitution and regulations, but there has been no explanation whether these procedures were followed, and the objections were simply dismissed," adding, "I believe that effective measures regarding what was discussed at the members' meeting have not been taken."

In particular, Jeon insisted that the basis for the qualitative evaluation should be disclosed. He said, "Attendance at members' meetings, plenary sessions, and bill proposals do not differ significantly among lawmakers," and added, "If the qualitative evaluation, which accounts for about 20 percent, resulted in such (low) evaluation outcomes for lawmakers, at least the basis for that should be presented; otherwise, they should fully provide the grounds for the results and comply with requests for review." He further stated, "If this is not done, the argument that lawmakers were evaluated with a specific intent will sound much more convincing."

Regarding Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's comment on the nomination controversy that "someone has to be first and someone has to be last," Jeon said, "I think it goes against the basic intent to review and verify incumbent lawmakers once more," and criticized, "If reasonable issues are simply ignored and no grounds are provided, lawmakers' backlash cannot be avoided."

However, he avoided giving a direct answer about the possibility of collective action by the anti-Lee Jae-myung (Bi-Myung) and pro-Moon Jae-in (Chin-moon) factions.