Emergency Press Conference on the Morning of the 3rd... Criticism Over Allegations of Unlisted Stock Purchases
Ha Heon-sik, the People Power Party candidate for Seo-gu (Gap), Gwangju Metropolitan City, demanded a public apology from Jo In-cheol, the Democratic Party candidate, for his absence from the debate and called for clarification regarding allegations of purchasing unlisted stocks under his family's name during his tenure as vice mayor.
On the morning of the 3rd, Ha held a press conference at the Gwangju City Council, harshly criticizing Jo In-cheol's irresponsible absence from the debate, which caused disruption, and the suspicions surrounding the purchase of unlisted stocks.
On the morning of the 3rd, Ha Heon-sik, the People Power Party candidate for Seo-gu (Gap), Gwangju Metropolitan City, held an emergency press conference at the Gwangju City Council, demanding a public apology regarding Jo In-cheol, the Democratic Party candidate's alleged purchase of unlisted stocks and his absence from the debate. Photo by Yoon Ja-min
He said, "Recently, due to Jo's unilateral absence from the candidate debate, the event was changed to a talk show format, ignoring the right to know of Gwangju and Seo-gu citizens."
He continued, "The election law clearly states that absence from a candidate debate is only allowed in cases where attendance is impossible. However, Jo’s unconvincing excuse that his voice would not be heard is an irresponsible act of skipping a legally mandated candidate debate," raising his voice.
He also stated, "Riding on the local sentiment that a Democratic Party nomination guarantees election, Jo showed the height of arrogance by believing that if he just endures the allegations for a few days, he will be elected. A politician who steps forward as a public servant but cannot stand proudly before the people and fails to keep legal promises cannot be expected to fulfill campaign promises if elected as a member of the National Assembly," emphasizing this point.
Furthermore, he said, "Recently, when talking with residents, I have heard many stories about Jo’s alleged purchase of unlisted stocks," and criticized, "If it is true that a public official used confidential information obtained through their duties for personal gain, then he is not qualified as a candidate."
He then demanded that the disrupted debate be held again and that the currently emerging allegations be clearly disclosed in front of the citizens, calling for responsible actions rather than mere verbal apologies.
Candidate Ha Heon-sik is putting effort into communicating with residents by changing the format to a talk show and proceeding with it to ensure the right to know of Seo-gu (Gap) residents, following the disruption caused by the Democratic Party candidate’s absence from the debate.
Meanwhile, the first election broadcast debate in the Gwangju area for Seo-gu (Gap), scheduled to be held at the KBS Gwangju Broadcasting Headquarters on the morning of the 29th of last month, was canceled about an hour and 30 minutes before it was to start when Jo notified that he was unable to attend due to a fever and loss of voice. As a result, the debate was changed to a talk format between People Power Party candidate Ha Heon-sik and the moderator, and the broadcast was delayed by 1 hour and 10 minutes, causing disruption.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
