Controversy at the People Power Party National Convention
Choi Jae-sung, former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, argued that the suspicions of ‘party affairs interference’ and ‘comment squads’ that emerged during the People Power Party’s leadership election process should be closely watched.
Handonghun, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is delivering his policy speech at the joint rally for Daejeon, Sejong, Chungbuk, and Chungnam held at the Yu Gwansun Gymnasium in Cheonan, Chungnam, on the afternoon of the 15th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
In an interview with KBS Radio’s ‘Jeonggyeok Sisa’ on the 17th, former Secretary Choi said, “What we need to pay attention to in the current People Power Party leadership election is that candidate Han Dong-hoon used the expression ‘state affairs manipulation, party affairs interference,’” adding, “This also involves legal issues.”
He stated, “Issues like First Lady Kim Keon-hee’s text messages or the Sa-cheon (preselection) problem are not legal matters to be disputed, but the so-called comment squad issue could be a legal matter,” emphasizing, “Even if we set aside other political conflicts, from now on, party affairs interference and the comment squad issue should be watched carefully.”
When asked how the Democratic Party of Korea might handle this situation after the People Power Party’s leadership election, he said, “Two paths can be anticipated,” explaining, “Within the ruling party, this issue could be triggered as a legal matter, or alternatively, there might be a direction where the ruling party avoids triggering the issue, thinking ‘if this happens, both sides will be harmed.’”
He added, “From the opposition’s standpoint, it would actually be difficult to approach the comment issue legally,” and analyzed, “If this does not escalate or explode within the ruling party, there will be limits to approaching it more concretely.” He continued, “However, regarding state affairs manipulation or party affairs interference, even if not immediately, I thought it was somewhat precarious and risky from the early days of the administration,” adding, “This issue is bound to surface at any time.”
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