Choi Hyukjin Promised to Return to the Party After Inheriting Parliamentary Seat, But Remains
Yong Hyein: "Stealing the Party's Proportional Representative Seat"
Also Urges Democratic Party: "Do Not Participate in Political Crime"
Yong Hyein, leader of the Basic Income Party, called Choi Hyukjin, former Blue House Secretary for Social Economy who inherited a proportional representative seat, a "political fraud" and urged the Democratic Party of Korea to expel him. The reason is that although Choi became a proportional representative candidate in the last general election through the recommendation of the Basic Income Party, he broke his promise to return to the party.
On the 4th, through her Facebook page, Yong stated, "The Democratic Party must immediately expel Choi Hyukjin," and strongly insisted, "A political fraud who destroys democracy, a mere thief of a parliamentary seat, is not suitable to serve as a representative of the people."
Yong added, "Today (the 4th), at an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council, the Basic Income Party officially notified the Democratic Party that it has decided to withdraw its recommendation of Choi Hyukjin as a proportional representative candidate," and continued, "Therefore, it is only right to give the opportunity to serve in the National Assembly to candidate number 17, who was recommended by civil society."
On the 4th, Wi Seongrak and Kang Yujeong, both Democratic Party proportional representatives, were appointed as National Security Advisor and Presidential Spokesperson, respectively, in the Lee Jaemyung administration. As a result, according to the order on the proportional representative list, Son Sol, former chief spokesperson of the Progressive Party (number 15), and former secretary Choi (number 16) inherited seats in the National Assembly.
Previously, the Democratic Party and other opposition parties created the satellite party Democratic Alliance to secure proportional representative seats under the semi-linked proportional representation system. Choi became a proportional representative candidate through the recommendation of the Basic Income Party. According to Yong, at the time of his recommendation, Choi promised to return to the Basic Income Party if he inherited a parliamentary seat, but after doing so, he announced his intention to remain with the Democratic Party.
Yong stated, "The person who made such pledges before party members and the public just one year and three months ago, promising reform politics, is nowhere to be found now. Even if he decided he wanted to pursue politics more easily under the protection of a large party, he should have returned to the Basic Income Party and made that decision together with party members. Stealing the party's proportional representative seat in this way is against common sense, but he remained silent even when I tried to reason with him."
She continued, "I hope the Democratic Party, which values party democracy, will not participate in the political crime committed by Choi Hyukjin, who betrayed the people and the members of the Basic Income Party," and emphasized, "This is neither responsible politics nor coalition politics."
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