Sharp Criticism of Lawmakers' Collusion in Election for Gwangju City Party Chair by Democratic Party's Largest Faction 'Innovation Meeting'

Public Inquiry to 8 Gwangju National Assembly Members on Reasons for Endorsing a Single Candidate

"No Responses from All... Multiple Cases of Violating Party Rules and Undermining Party Member Sovereignty"

"Consensus Endorsement Blocking Party Members' Decision Rights... Calls for Gradual Dissolution"

The largest faction of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party National Innovation Council, sharply criticized eight local members of the National Assembly, claiming that one member of the National Assembly was agreed upon and endorsed for the Gwangju Metropolitan City Party Committee Chair election.

According to the Democratic Party National Innovation Council on the 14th, the Innovation Council sent an open inquiry letter to eight National Assembly members from the Gwangju region on the 11th.

The questions included ▲the reason why all National Assembly members agreed upon and endorsed one candidate for the Gwangju City Party Committee Chair contrary to the intention of Representative Lee Jae-myung ▲how to realize a party member-centered mass party in Gwangju by agreeing and endorsing the city party committee chair, which limits the decision-making power of party members ▲and the nomination method for local elections suitable for the era of party member sovereignty.

However, the Innovation Council explained that they had not received any response even by the deadline of 2 p.m. on the 13th.

So far, the Innovation Council has emphasized that on May 18, then Democratic Party Representative Lee Jae-myung said during a meeting with party members in Gwangju that the convention of deciding the city party committee chair through consultation should be broken and party members should be able to participate directly in the election process.

They stated that this is the minimum measure to create a party member sovereignty era and a party member-centered mass party.

On the same day, the Innovation Council issued a statement saying, "Gwangju is the only place where all district National Assembly members have agreed upon and endorsed a specific candidate and publicly announced it in the ongoing Democratic Party city and provincial party committee chair elections," adding, "All members attended a meeting with Gwangju regional media on the 18th of last month and publicly disclosed their collusion and tacit agreement."

They continued, "The collusion and tacit agreement of the eight Gwangju National Assembly members directly deny the historic progress for the era of party member sovereignty," and criticized, "It is a regressive attempt to ignore the demands of 2.5 million party members who want to be the main agents of this great upheaval and to turn Democratic Party politics in Honam (Gwangju) into a Galapagos."

They also pointed out, "Article 34 of the Democratic Party's 'Party Regulation No. 4 on Election of Party Positions' prohibits National Assembly members, city and provincial party committee chairs, and regional committee chairs from publicly and collectively supporting or opposing specific candidates," emphasizing, "The meeting with Gwangju regional media attended by National Assembly members on the 18th of last month blatantly violated party regulations."

They added that many other cases of party regulation violations have also been reported.

The Innovation Council stated, "Despite voices of concern and condemnation about the collusion of the eight Gwangju National Assembly members continuing in various places, they have been ignoring this and continuing actions that directly deny the strengthening of party member rights, such as regular meetings of the secretaries of the eight regional committees," and raised their voice, "The central party and the Gwangju City Party Election Commission must actively restrain the eight Gwangju National Assembly members who publicly and collectively expressed their agreement and endorsement and the ongoing collusion and tacit agreement."

Furthermore, they said, "In the last general election, the party members and citizens of Gwangju replaced all incumbent members except for Representative Min Hyung-bae. They replaced them with representatives who can properly reflect the public sentiment of the people, the sovereigns of the democratic republic, and the party members, the sovereigns of the Democratic Party," adding, "If this public sentiment is not properly understood, it should be remembered that Gwangju party members and citizens will inevitably make them the subject of innovation again."

They concluded, "We declare the dissolution of the collusion and tacit agreement of the eight Gwangju National Assembly members, which restricts party members' choice and blocks decision-making power, and is a regressive act unsuitable for the era of party member sovereignty, and call for the cessation of vote control activities led by regional committee secretaries," adding, "Through this Gwangju City Party Committee Chair election, we hope that Gwangju, the heart of the Democratic Party, will leap forward as the heart of innovation leading the era of party member sovereignty and a party member-centered mass party."