'Exclusion of Minorities' Poll Controversy... Resignation of Rep. Jeong Pil-mo
Successor is Park Beom-gye, Former Minister of Justice under Moon Administration
The Democratic Party of Korea appointed Representative Park Beom-gye as the new Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, succeeding Representative Jeong Pil-mo, who resigned mid-term. This move is interpreted as a strategic effort to quell factional conflicts amid growing 'nomination controversies' caused by opinion polls that excluded non-mainstream factions.
On the 26th, spokesperson Kang Seon-woo announced to reporters after the on-site Supreme Council meeting held at the Incheon City Party Office that Representative Park Beom-gye had been appointed as the Chairperson of the Election Commission. Representative Park served as Minister of Justice during the Moon Jae-in administration and is considered a pro-Moon faction figure.
On the 23rd, the day of the Constitutional Court's ruling on the authority dispute trial regarding the complete removal of the prosecution's investigative authority (Geomsuwanbak) bill, former Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye is seated in the grand courtroom at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
Representative Jeong announced his intention to resign from the Chairperson position on the 21st. This was interpreted as a response to controversies over the fairness of the primary opinion polls. Previously, opinion polls conducted in several regions excluded non-mainstream or mid-ranking incumbents and instead nominated pro-Moon faction candidates, sparking disputes over fairness.
The problematic opinion polls, whose organizers were unclear, were identified as being conducted by a company called 'Research DNA.' It was confirmed that this company had conducted a citizen satisfaction survey for Seongnam City in 2013 when Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, was mayor of Seongnam. Moreover, controversy grew because this company was added after the selection of primary opinion poll firms had already been completed.
Ultimately, the company was excluded from conducting primary polls, but the Democratic Party denied any connection to Representative Jeong's resignation. Kang Min-jung, who serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Election Commission, stated in a briefing on the 21st that the related allegations were "completely unrelated" and that Representative Jeong resigned due to health reasons.
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