The Democratic Party Holds First Joint Convention Speech in Gwangju... 'Kim Geon-hee Texts' and 'General Election White Paper' Stir Confusion

Na-Won-Yoon "Disclose Content and Apologize" vs Han "Abnormal Party Affairs Interference"
Ruling Party Special Committee Approves Final Report of General Election White Paper on This Day
Han Dong-hoon Accountability May Be Raised Depending on General Election White Paper Content

The People Power Party will officially kick off the race to elect new leadership for the July 23 party convention with a joint speech event in Gwangju on the 8th. Following the recent controversy over candidate Han Dong-hoon's ignoring of First Lady Kim Geon-hee's text messages, the release of the general election white paper on the same day is expected to spark a blame game among the candidates.

People Power Party leadership candidates Na Kyung-won, Won Hee-ryong, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Han Dong-hoon will each deliver an 8-minute speech outlining their vision as party leader candidates and their positions on key internal and external issues at the joint speech event held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju at 2 p.m. that day. Supreme council members and youth supreme council members will also attend. The joint speech events will proceed in the following order: Gwangju, Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam (10th), Daegu·Gyeongbuk (12th), Daejeon·Sejong·Chungbuk·Chungnam (15th), and Seoul·Incheon·Gyeonggi·Gangwon (17th).

At this joint speech event, the controversy over First Lady Kim Geon-hee's ignored text messages, which has become a hot issue, is expected to lead to fierce exchanges among the candidates.

People Power Party representatives Han Dong-hoon (from left), Won Hee-ryong, Na Kyung-won, and Yoon Sang-hyun, candidates for party leader, pose at the 'Change 5-Minute Vision Presentation' held on the 2nd at ASSA Art Hall in Gangseo-gu. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Candidate Won has been attacking daily on Facebook, demanding "apologize to the First Lady or disclose the contents of the text messages," while candidates Na and Yoon are also demanding candidate Han to "explain and apologize." On the other hand, candidate Han responded through statements saying, "I cannot disclose the texts because the sender is involved," "If you want to circulate a petition, go ahead," and "Abnormal interference in the party convention, dangerous interference in party affairs." The Presidential Office also took a firm stance, stating, "We have not intervened or been involved in any way in the party convention election process, and we will not do so in the future."

Depending on the contents of the upcoming general election white paper, responsibility for Han Dong-hoon is also expected to be raised. The People Power Party's special committee on the general election white paper plans to hold its final meeting at the National Assembly at 2:30 p.m. that day to approve the final report. After the approval process, the report will be presented to the Emergency Planning Committee and then explained to the lawmakers. Special Committee Chair Cho Jung-hoon has pressured, saying, "If candidate Han agrees, the white paper can be published even before the party convention," while candidate Han rebutted on YTN radio on the 5th, saying, "Chairman Cho is pursuing his own politics."

Meanwhile, before the joint speech event, candidate Na plans to emphasize "conservative clarity" by visiting Jeong Yul-seong Road in Gwangju with Kim Oh-bok, the mother of the late Sergeant Seo Jeong-woo, who died in the Yeonpyeong Island shelling. Composer Jeong Yul-seong, a native of Gwangju, became controversial for composing military songs for the North Korean People's Army and Chinese People's Volunteer Army during the Korean War, which led to disputes over the park development project, and Kim Oh-bok has opposed the creation of Jeong Yul-seong Road. Candidate Won plans to appeal to local sentiment by visiting his hometown Jeju, holding a breakfast meeting with the Jeju provincial party, and paying respects at the May 18th cemetery. Candidate Yoon will attend the speech event immediately after appearing on YTN radio, and candidate Han will go directly to the speech event without any separate schedule.