"Next Year’s Local Elections: Cooperation with the Democratic Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Area...
Competition in Honam"
Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on September 1, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
On September 6, appearing on Kyunghyang TV’s YouTube channel, Cho Kuk stated, “When the sexual misconduct incident occurred, I was in prison and was in no position to intervene in party affairs.” He added, “After my release, I had a number of scheduled commitments, and in hindsight, I wonder if things might have been different had I met and communicated sooner. I had communicated with the victim’s representative that I would get in touch and meet after finishing my scheduled commitments, but unfortunately, this incident occurred before we could meet.”
These remarks were made in response to a recent press conference held by Kang Mijeong, spokesperson for the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, in which she announced her withdrawal from the party, claiming that the party was ignoring the victims of sexual harassment. Kang stated that she had directly informed Cho Kuk of the incident but received no response, adding, “I believe even silence is a message I must interpret.” In response, Cho Kuk explained on Facebook that, as he was not a party member at the time, there was nothing he could do.
The internal sexual misconduct allegations have yet to be resolved, even though five months have passed since the complaint was filed in April. Spokesperson Kang filed a complaint against her superior, identified as Mr. A, for sexual harassment through abuse of authority under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. It is reported that Mr. A has completely denied the allegations during the police investigation.
"Next Year’s Local Elections: Cooperation with the Democratic Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Competition in Honam"
Cho Kuk also outlined his stance regarding next year’s local elections, expressing his intention to cooperate with the Democratic Party of Korea. He emphasized that in regions such as Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, where the People Power Party is a main competitor, it is important to work together with the Democratic Party to prevent the election of People Power Party-affiliated heads of local governments. He stated, “I categorically rule out the possibility of the People Power Party winning by a small margin, as happened in the past with the Justice Party.”
However, regarding the Honam region, he noted, “To my knowledge, there has never been a metropolitan government head from a People Power Party-affiliated party in Honam,” and added, “In such cases, I believe that competing with the Democratic Party would be more beneficial for Honam,” indicating the possibility of competition.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
