"If the temporary session was postponed for a specific preliminary candidate, it is an act of ignoring and mocking the citizens"
On the 5th, Bae Jong-ho, a preliminary candidate for the National Assembly representing Mokpo City from the Democratic Party of Korea, held an emergency press conference and formally requested an ethics investigation by the Democratic Party’s central committee regarding the controversy over the postponement of the Mokpo City Council schedule, which was reported in the media.
Candidate Bae stated, “According to a local media outlet, there are allegations that the Mokpo City Council, mostly composed of Democratic Party members, postponed the extraordinary session to focus on election campaigning to support a specific preliminary candidate,” adding, “If these allegations are true, it is an outrageous act.”
Candidate Bae Jong-ho is holding an emergency press conference. [Photo by Bae Jong-ho Election Campaign Office]
He explained, “The chairman of the Mokpo City Council’s Steering Committee failed to prepare a revised plan related to the acquisition of city bus route rights, and the postponement was to buy time,” but emphasized, “Mokpo City has stated that it did not request the City Council to postpone the extraordinary session, which raises even greater suspicion.”
He continued, “Despite official letters and instructions from the Democratic Party’s central committee to cease actions that undermine neutrality in the primary election, a significant number of Democratic Party Mokpo city council members have been going to the election campaign office of preliminary candidate Kim Won-i and attending campaign meetings,” criticizing, “This is a serious violation of the central committee’s directives and an act of disregarding and mocking the sovereign citizens of Mokpo.”
Regarding the controversy over the postponement of the Mokpo City Council schedule, Candidate Bae formally requested an ethics investigation from the Democratic Party’s nomination management committee and central leadership, stating, “If the allegations are proven true, strict accountability must be enforced as a stern warning.”
He also pointed out, “The Democratic Party’s Mokpo regional committee is already in turmoil due to incidents such as the sexual assault accusation against a National Assembly aide, nomination controversies, a devastating defeat in the mayoral election, the illegal leakage of 8,000 party membership applications, and as a result of this case, Representative Kim Won-i has been reported to the prosecution and is facing a large-scale damages lawsuit,” adding, “Now, with the emergence of the ‘City Council schedule postponement manipulation’ controversy, the situation has become irreparable.”
He pledged, “If I win the Democratic Party’s Mokpo National Assembly candidate primary and am elected as the National Assembly member for Mokpo, I solemnly promise the citizens of Mokpo to completely eradicate all old practices and corrupt habits within the Democratic Party’s Mokpo regional committee.”
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