Na Kyungwon: "Replacing the Presidential Candidate? It Denies the Rule of Law and Democratic Procedures"

"Must Prepare for the Worst-Case Scenario of Having No Presidential Candidate"
"The Party Must Not Abandon Its Public Duty and Head Toward Mutual Destruction"
"Awakening and Restoration of Party Principles Must Come First"

As tensions between People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moonsoo and the party leadership deepen over the possibility of unifying with independent presidential hopeful and former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, Na Kyungwon, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the move, saying, "It is something that can never happen, as it denies the foundations of the rule of law and the party's democratic procedures."

On May 8, Na wrote on Facebook, "This regulation exists to allow for exceptions to several provisions in Chapter 5 of the party constitution (Selection of Presidential Candidates) during the 'process' of selecting a candidate," clarifying her position.

Na Kyungwon, People Power Party member. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

The party leadership announced the previous day that, according to Article 74, Clause 2 of the party constitution?"Notwithstanding the regulations regarding the selection of the presidential candidate, if there are significant reasons, matters related to the selection of the presidential candidate shall be reviewed by the Presidential Candidate Election Management Committee and decided by a resolution of the Supreme Council (Emergency Countermeasures Committee)"?they could pursue candidate unification, effectively enabling a candidate replacement without the consent of Kim, the party's official presidential candidate.

Na argued, "This provision does not stipulate the replacement of a candidate," and added, "Any attempt to arbitrarily interpret this clause to replace an elected candidate or undermine their position is clearly in violation of the spirit of the party constitution and regulations."

She continued, "Former Election Management Committee Chair Hwang Wooye also responded to the leadership's request to 'reactivate the election committee' by saying, 'The role of the election committee chair ends with the selection of the candidate; everything else is within the candidate's domain,'" adding, "This confirms that the role of the election committee has effectively ended with the announcement of the presidential candidate."

Na further stated, "At yesterday's general assembly, many lawmakers expressed deep concern about moves to arbitrarily interpret the party constitution and regulations in order to pursue candidate replacement or forced unification through the National Committee or Party Congress," and warned, "If the leadership applies the party constitution and regulations arbitrarily, the People Power Party could become embroiled in legal disputes and may even face the worst-case scenario of having to contest the presidential election without a candidate."

She emphasized, "This must stop now. The party must not abandon its public responsibilities and head down a path of mutual destruction," and added, "What is more urgent now is not a principle-less unification, but the awakening and restoration of the party's principles."

Meanwhile, on the morning of May 8, Kim held an emergency press conference at his campaign office in Yeouido, stating, "I confirmed late last night that the party leadership is working to oust me, Kim Moonsoo, who was elected as the presidential candidate." He questioned the party leadership, asking, "What is the reason for trying to remove me, Kim Moonsoo, for the sake of an independent candidate who has stated he will not even register for the main election?" Kim also mentioned the "right of party affairs priority" stipulated in Article 74 of the People Power Party constitution. He declared, "I am invoking the right of party affairs priority," and urged, "From this moment, the party leadership must stop its coercive calls for unification and instead move to the front lines of the fight against Lee Jaemyung's Democratic Party." Kim also announced that he would not participate in the debate with former Prime Minister Han, which the party leadership had been preparing for that day.