Conflicted Yeo Party Leadership Election Battle... Party Election Commission Issues 'Yellow Card' to Won Hee-ryong and Han Dong-hoon

Party Election Commission Sends Official Letter for Caution and Correction Orders
Choo Kyung-ho: "Election Campaigns Must Meet the Expectations of Party Members and the Public"
Joint Rally in Key Support Area TK
Possibility of Empty Recommendations from Party Leadership and Election Commission

On the 12th, the People Power Party's Election Commission issued a yellow card to party leader candidates Won Hee-ryong and Han Dong-hoon, who clashed over allegations of private nomination for proportional representation in the general election, even mentioning retirement from politics. This came amid concerns that the party convention is becoming chaotic due to the confrontation between the two leading candidates, who are also prominent presidential hopefuls within the ruling party.

In a media notice released that morning, the party's Election Commission stated, "On the 11th, we sent official letters of 'warning and corrective orders' to candidates Won and Han for violating the party's constitution and regulations during the party leader broadcast debate." The regulations violated by candidates Won and Han, as specified by the Election Commission, are Article 5, Paragraph 1, which stipulates candidates' obligation for fair competition, and Article 39, Paragraph 7, which prohibits certain electioneering activities.

On the same day, Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho, at a parliamentary strategy meeting, said, "These days, I hear that the biggest worries for our people are the Korea Football Association and the People Power Party's party convention." He urged, "To avoid further harsh criticism that this election is a mudslinging fight where candidates say 'let's go all the way,' I hope all candidates and their camps will exercise restraint in mutual slander with a spirit of putting the party first and conduct election campaigns that meet the expectations of party members and the public." Following the mutual harsh words between the candidates, their camp spokespersons have also escalated criticism through statements and commentaries, resulting in a lack of focus on policies and visions for revitalizing the party. Moreover, in Yeouido's political circles, leaflets defaming the two candidates are circulating, which is interpreted as the reason why Floor Leader Choo has repeatedly issued warnings.

Na Kyung-won, Won Hee-ryong, Han Dong-hoon, and Yoon Sang-hyun, four candidates for the People Power Party leadership, are taking a commemorative photo on the 11th at the MBN studio in Jung-gu, Seoul, before the second broadcast debate for party leader candidates. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Previously, at the party leader candidate broadcast debate hosted by MBN the day before, candidate Won aggressively questioned candidate Han, saying, "If the three major allegations?the public opinion manipulation team suspicion, private nomination suspicion, and the recommendation of Kim Kyung-ryul as Financial Supervisory Service chairman?are true, how will you take responsibility?" He added, "If a person who only cares about their presidential image and shamelessly lies and divides becomes party leader, we are all doomed." Candidate Han retorted about candidate Won, "Former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom at least played a recording. We need to stop this kind of old-fashioned politics," and said, "He seems worse than former lawmaker Kim." When candidate Won mentioned that 'Secretary Lee' and 'Lawyer Kang' had discussions with candidate Han's relatives and demanded a party audit, candidate Han responded, "Say it now. Isn't this just spreading filth before the election?" and "You have no materials to present right now, do you?" Notably, candidate Han pledged to retire from politics if the allegations were true, and candidate Won also said he would retire if his claims were proven false.

However, since a joint rally is scheduled to be held on the same day in the conservative stronghold TK region, which is crucial for determining the outcome of this party convention, there is a possibility that the warnings from the Election Commission and party leadership will be ineffective. In fact, despite the Election Commission and People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Hwang Woo-yeo warning on the 8th to stop negative campaigning, candidate Won accused candidate Han of "lying politics" and "intentional defeat" through the TV Chosun-hosted broadcast debate on the 9th and the joint rallies and Facebook on the 10th in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, while candidate Han countered with accusations of "old-fashioned politics" and "multiple personalities." Especially just before the broadcast debate the day before, the Election Commission issued a statement pointing out that "the currently controversial defamatory issues are reproducing various groundless speculations, leading to a wasteful battle over the truth," but the confrontation only intensified. For this reason, after the parliamentary strategy meeting that day, Floor Leader Choo met with reporters and said, "I believe those individuals (candidates Won and Han) and their supporters are well aware of how the media, the public, and our party members are evaluating their words and actions," urging them once again to exercise restraint.