Minju Park Suhyun: "No Citizens Will Elect Someone Who Labels the Opposition as a Criminal Group as Speaker of the National Assembly"

At the rally held on the 5th, "Definitively spreading false information about abuse of power"

Democratic Party candidate Park Su-hyun criticized the allegation of spreading false information by United Future Party candidate Jeong Jin-seok during a focused campaign rally held at the three-way intersection behind Gongju National University. / From candidate Park Su-hyun's side

Park Su-hyun, the Democratic Party candidate running in the 22nd general election for the Chungnam Gongju·Buyeo·Cheongyang district, criticized People Power Party candidate Jeong Jin-seok for alleged black propaganda and spreading false information.

At a campaign rally held on the 5th at the back gate three-way intersection of Gongju National University, Park stated, “Representative Lee Jae-myung sent a text message saying, ‘We cannot entrust the country to criminal groups and forces aiming to overthrow the government. Please protect the precious value of freedom and our future,’ to candidate Jeong Jin-seok.”

He continued, “Although unlikely, if Jeong Jin-seok, whom I respect, serves six terms and the People Power Party becomes the ruling party, he says he will become the Speaker of the National Assembly. There are no citizens in the Republic of Korea who would allow someone who defines the opposition party as a criminal group or a force aiming to overthrow the government to become the Speaker.”

He also pointed out, “Today, I finally feel that the election atmosphere is somewhat strange. It seems like a wave of Park Su-hyun, a blue wave, is rising. Feeling a sense of crisis as Representative Lee Jae-myung is coming, the opposition party is hastily making the mistake of labeling themselves as criminal groups and forces aiming to overthrow the government.”

It is known that People Power Party candidate Jeong Jin-seok sent text messages defaming Park Su-hyun to voters.

Screenshot of text messages sent by People Power Party candidate Jeong Jin-seok to an unspecified number of voters

In response, Park hinted at legal action against Jeong for spreading false information.

Park said, “Jeong is said to be under investigation after being accused of fraud for abusing power, allegedly defrauding 4.4 billion won from UN-Habitat or something like that. Have you seen his asset declaration? Thanks to his wife, he declared about 300 million won. Of that, my assets are about 10 million won,” and questioned, “No matter how foolish I am, if I had defrauded 4.4 billion won, shouldn’t my assets be at least 44 million won?”

He added, “He has not received a summons nor been investigated. And I filed a counter-complaint. Jeong, who has definitively spread false information about abusing power, should prepare for legal action.”

He also claimed, “Four years ago, during the election, false information was fabricated and spread in the Gongju·Buyeo·Cheongyang area in a short time, and I lost by a margin of 2.2%. People thought at the time that Park Su-hyun was responsible, but the person who fabricated and spread the false information was a campaign staff member of Jeong Jin-seok.”

He continued, “Those who fabricated and spread false information to bring down the opposing candidate and steal the precious rights of voters?how can they now claim to be morally upright people who have been criticized for what they falsely created?”

Park pointed out, “Jeong told his aides never to mention that he was sentenced to six months in prison in the first trial for defaming the late President Roh Moo-hyun’s reputation,” and criticized, “Jeong may have more experience with five terms, but when it comes to manners, he should learn from me, who served one term.”