Lee Jaemyung Criticizes People Power Party:
"Fighting to Recruit Another Candidate Right After Selecting Their Own"
Democratic Party Brings in Park Gwancheon, Key Figure in "Blue House Document Leak"
Park: "Reflected on My Role After Experiencing Martial Law"
On May 6, the Democratic Party strongly criticized the People Power Party, describing the party's internal conflict over the potential unification with independent presidential candidate Han Ducksoo following the official nomination of Kim Moonsoo as its presidential candidate as a "fraud against the public."
Hwang Jeonga, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election committee, stated during a briefing at the party headquarters in Yeouido, "A fraudulent scheme has been exposed, in which a 'puppet candidate' was chosen as a stepping stone for an unjustified unification."
Referring to the People Power Party's parliamentary meeting held the previous day to discuss the unification issue, Hwang said, "The party leadership and lawmakers branded candidate Kim as a 'fraudster' when he retorted, 'Is the People Power Party now Han Ducksoo's party?' She added, "If they intended to treat their own presidential candidate as a puppet, why did they even bother to hold a primary?" Hwang further asserted, "The People Power Party's primary was a fraudulent scheme to nominate Han Ducksoo, who acted as an agent of rebellion, as their candidate, dragging the public into this deception," and emphasized, "The People Power Party must stop mocking the public."
Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, criticized the situation while speaking to reporters during his visit to Yeongdong, North Chungcheong Province. He said, "In an election, it is customary for a political group to field a candidate and for voters to choose among them. However, things have become strange lately. The main camp I am supposed to compete against, the People Power Party, seems to be fighting to recruit another candidate immediately after selecting their own." Lee added, "Even so, it feels like I am not just competing against my opponent, but rather facing a comprehensive battle against state institutions that are supposed to remain neutral," indirectly referring to the judiciary.
When asked about the so-called "anti-Myung big tent" movement, in which former Prime Minister Lee Nakyon, former Democratic Party and Bareunmirae Party leader Sohn Hakkyu, and former People Power Party emergency committee chair Kim Chongin have reportedly met, Lee dismissed the matter, saying, "Who is meeting whom? I am not particularly interested in such things."
Kang Hoonshik, head of the general situation room for the Democratic Party's election committee, wrote on Facebook, "The People Power Party's candidate unification is a contest of greed against greed," and added, "Convening a party convention without specifying the date or time is like presenting a contract before even being ready to negotiate." Kim Minseok, standing co-chair of the election committee and chief supreme council member, also wrote on Facebook, "The party mainstream led by Kwon Seongdong (floor leader) will convene a party convention to revise the party constitution and regulations to neutralize the candidate's authority over party affairs," and posed the question, "Will Kim Moonsoo surrender or be expelled?"
The Democratic Party's election committee rapid response team, during a press conference, targeted candidate Han for emphasizing unification, stating, "He has advanced to the finals by default and is now begging for an easy path forward," and criticized, "This is like cuckoo politics, laying eggs in another's nest, and 'begging politics' at its worst." The rapid response team further challenged, "If unification fails, will you withdraw your candidacy? Is the presidential election a joke?" and urged, "If Han's declaration of candidacy is sincere, he should first make a public and confident promise to see the race through to the end regardless of unification."
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party announced that it had appointed former police superintendent Park Gwancheon as deputy head of the rapid response team. Park stated, "After experiencing martial law, I felt I had to play a role, and when the election committee reached out, I readily accepted," adding, "I was appointed about two days ago." Park served as an administrator in the Office of Civil Service Discipline at the Blue House during the Park Geunhye administration and was a key figure in the "Blue House document leak case," as well as being identified as the author of the so-called "Jeong Yunhoe document." During the prosecution's investigation at the time, Park was reported to have remarked, "Do you know the power hierarchy in our country? Choi Soonshil is number one, Jeong Yunhoe is number two, and President Park Geunhye is only number three," a statement that became widely discussed in political circles.
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