'Joguk Shindang' Name Not Allowed... Election Commission Rejects Like 'Ahn Cheol-soo Shindang'

Election Commission: "Explicit Use of Politicians' Names Not Allowed"
'Joguk New Party' Rejected... "Joguk (祖國) May Have Meaning"

The National Election Commission (NEC) has denied the use of the name 'Joguk Shindang' for the new political party being prepared by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. The decision was based on the principle that the name of a politician should not be explicitly included in the party name. However, party names that include 'Joguk (祖國)', meaning 'my country' rather than the politician 'Cho Kuk (曺國)', are allowed.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who serves as the head of talent recruitment for the provisional 'Jo Guk New Party,' is speaking at the 'Jo Guk New Party Founding Preparation Committee Talent Recruitment Announcement Ceremony' held at a movie theater in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 25th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 26th, the NEC resolved on the inquiry regarding the use of party names such as 'Joguk Shindang' and communicated this to the Joguk Shindang Preparatory Committee, according to reports by Yonhap News and others. The NEC explained the reason for the denial, stating, "Explicitly including the name of a current politician in the name of a political party may not align with the purpose and essence of the party."

In the 2020 general election, the NEC also denied the use of the name 'Ahn Cheol-soo Shindang' proposed by lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo for the same reason.

However, the NEC clarified that this does not mean the word 'Joguk' itself cannot be used in a party name. It can be used in the sense of 'Joguk (祖國)', meaning the country where ancestors have lived for generations, rather than the politician 'Cho Kuk (曺國)'.

The Joguk Shindang Preparatory Committee inquired with the NEC about the possibility of using 14 different names including 'Joguk Minjudang', 'Joguk Gaehyeokdang', and 'Joguk (ui) Minju Gaehyeok (dang)'. Some of these names include 'Joguk (祖國)' with different Chinese characters from former Minister Cho Kuk's name.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial on charges including admission fraud involving his children and covering up the Blue House inspection, is seen reading a prepared statement after the appellate sentencing hearing held on the 8th at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul. The court sentenced former Minister Cho to two years in prison. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The NEC stated, "Although 'Joguk Shindang' carries a double meaning of the politician's name and our country, it is strongly perceived as a politician's new party, similar to the case of 'Ahn Cheol-soo Shindang'. Other names besides 'Joguk Shindang' are likely to be allowed." The NEC judged that party names that can be interpreted as 'our country Joguk' rather than 'politician Cho Kuk' by combining the word with other meanings can be used.

The Joguk Shindang Preparatory Committee announced on the same day, "Based on the NEC's response, we plan to promptly finalize the party name through member and public participation."

Earlier, former Minister Cho Kuk said on MBC radio that the reason for wanting to include 'Joguk' in the party name was, "Since the public is already calling it 'Joguk Shindang', if we choose a completely different name, there is a high possibility that the public will not make the connection, which is our judgment."