The People Power Party ultimately canceled the nomination of Do Tae-woo, the candidate for Daegu Jung and Nam Districts, who was embroiled in controversy over disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising.
Lawyer Tae-woo Do. Photo by Naver Profile Screen Capture
On the afternoon of the 14th, the People Power Party's Nomination Management Committee announced through a press release that it had decided to cancel Do's nomination. The committee explained, "In Do's case, despite posting two apology statements over the May 18 disparagement controversy, additional inappropriate remarks have come to light," adding, "We have declared strict measures, including disqualification of candidates, for cases that cause social unrest or involve conduct that does not meet the public's expectations."
Do became embroiled in controversy over disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising after stating in a YouTube video in February 2019 that "(Regarding the May 18 Democratic Uprising) there are very problematic aspects, and the question of North Korea's involvement is actually common knowledge." Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee Chairman, requested the Nomination Management Committee to reconsider Do's nomination. On the 12th, the committee decided to maintain the nomination, considering that Do had posted two apology statements.
However, it was later revealed that on August 13, 2019, at a Taegeukgi rally, Do made inappropriate remarks about former President Moon Jae-in, saying, "Seeing Moon Jae-in's strange behavior, I sometimes imagine that it would be fine if he just died." Additionally, Do was reported to have criticized former President Roh Moo-hyun, targeting him by saying, "Politicians accused of bribery become heroes through death, and their affiliated parties benefit from it."
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