Referred to trial for election law violation
Example phrases also provided in 'petition' document
Secretary denies ordering forced writing
Controversy has arisen after Jo Ji-yeon, a secretary to People Power Party lawmaker Jo, who was recently indicted by the prosecution on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act, asked local city council members in her constituency to write petitions requesting leniency for the lawmaker, and some city council members expressed that they felt "practically pressured."
Rep. Jo Ji-yeon of the People Power Party is appearing at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office on September 6 last month to be investigated for alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Lee, a Grade 5 secretary working as the local office manager in Jo's office, recently circulated a document titled 'petition' to local council members. This was a request for petitions to be submitted to the court after Jo was indicted by the prosecution on charges of violating the election law. Jo is currently on trial for allegedly visiting individual offices at Gyeongsan City Hall, the Agricultural Technology Center, and the Waterworks Office three times on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th of the official election campaign period, greeting public officials.
The document contains more than 10 example phrases for petitioners to write in the petition, such as "There is a possibility of losing the lawmaker position due to this incident, which would be a great loss on a national level," "The lawmaker is an irreplaceable figure," and "Having observed the lawmaker closely, I am well aware of their character, competence as a member of the National Assembly, and passion for the local community and the nation." It also includes writing guidelines like "Please write in your own handwriting so that the sincerity of the petitioner can be conveyed," "Write freely in the petitioner's own words rather than repeating the same content," and "Include specific episodes." Seemingly mindful of the court, it also warns, "Be careful not to include content suggesting that house-to-house visits are not a crime."
Petitions are generally submitted to the court when requesting leniency for the accused or demanding severe punishment. They have no official legal effect. If city council members voluntarily submitted petitions related to the case, there would be no issue. The problem is that some city council members who were asked by Lee to write these petitions feel pressured. There are also reports that each city council member was asked to write 10 petitions including those from acquaintances, which caused even greater burden.
A Gyeongsan city council member who requested anonymity said, "Providing example phrases for the petition and asking to produce 10 copies is practically pressure," adding, "Who would refuse to write and submit a petition for a lawmaker who currently holds the nomination rights?" In response, the secretary said, "In my opinion, I asked the city council members because the petitions were necessary, but I never instructed them to write forcibly." He added, "I never reported this to the lawmaker and never thought it could significantly affect the trial." Multiple attempts were made to contact lawmaker Jo for her position on this matter, but no response was received.
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