People Power Party, Do Tae-woo Controversy Over 5·18 Defamation... Nomination Decision Maintained

Gonggwanwi "Decides to Acknowledge Candidate Do's Apology Sincerity"

The People Power Party's Nomination Management Committee reached a consensus to maintain the nomination decision for attorney Do Tae-woo (Daegu Jung-Nam District), who sparked controversy over past remarks that belittled the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

Attorney Tae-woo Do. Photo by Naver Profile Screen Capture

On the 12th, the Nomination Committee held a meeting at the Yeouido party headquarters to discuss the nomination issue concerning attorney Do and announced this decision.

The committee explained, "We thoroughly reviewed the detailed content of past remarks and Do Tae-woo candidate's apology letter," and "decided to acknowledge the sincerity of the apology."

They added, "We considered that the candidate publicly stated he recognizes the constitutional value of the May 18 Democratic Uprising spirit and the meaning of the People Power Party's platform through two public apologies, declared his respect for and commitment to faithfully uphold the May 18 spirit, and expressed full respect for the party's position on including the May 18 Democratic Uprising in the constitutional preamble."

However, they stated, "If similar cases recur, strong measures including disqualification from public office candidacy will be taken."

Attorney Do, in February 2019, mentioned the need for reinvestigation through a video on his YouTube channel, saying, "(Regarding the May 18 Democratic Uprising) there are very problematic aspects, and the involvement of North Korea is a matter of common knowledge." Earlier, in January of the same year, he sparked controversy by stating at a public lecture, "Defining May 18 as a massacre is a fictitious myth," and "Sanctifying May 18 cannot coexist with liberal democracy."

It was also later revealed that he shared posts from Ilbe, an extreme right-wing online community, on his social media.

In response, Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee Chairman, requested the Nomination Management Committee to reconsider the nomination of candidate Do.