"Mayor Moon In Accused of Duplicity as Buk-gu Mayoral Hopefuls Stage Collective Protest"

Four Candidates Issue Joint Statement
Urge Mayor Moon to Clarify His Position

Moonin, Mayor of Buk-gu, Gwangju. Provided by Buk-gu, Gwangju

After Moon In, Mayor of Buk-gu, Gwangju, reversed his resignation to run for Mayor of Gwangju and subsequently applied for the preliminary candidate qualification review for local government heads, prospective candidates for the Buk-gu mayoral race have strongly protested, denouncing his actions as "duplicitous political behavior."

On January 22, four Buk-gu mayoral hopefuls-Kim Daewon, former Vice Chair of the Democratic Party Policy Committee; Kim Dongchan, former Gwangju City Council member; Moon Sangpil, Deputy Spokesperson of the Democratic Party; and Cho Hokwon, Vice Chair of the Democratic Party Policy Committee-issued a joint statement strongly condemning Mayor Moon.

In their statement, they criticized, "Due to Mayor Moon's recent series of reversals regarding his position and his ambiguous political maneuvers, the accountability of the Buk-gu administration and political trust have been seriously undermined," adding, "Politics should be conducted in the language of responsibility, not the language of possibility."

They specifically pointed out, "Mayor Moon initially indicated his intention to run for Mayor of Gwangju and even submitted a resignation letter to the district council, only to reverse his decision. Recently, he applied for the preliminary candidate qualification review for local government heads, leaving open the possibility of seeking a third term."

They further criticized, "Although he cites the significant national task of administrative integration as his reason, he is failing to keep his promises to the residents of Buk-gu. This behavior shows that he disregards the interests of residents and citizens, focusing solely on his own political advantage."

They also asserted, "The issue of administrative integration should not be used as a tool to defer one's personal political decisions," urging, "He must clearly state a responsible position before the residents regarding his repeated reversals and ambiguous actions."

They called on the Democratic Party as well, demanding, "The party must rigorously verify the candidate's credibility, sense of responsibility, and fulfillment of public promises, rather than relying on the advantages of incumbency or political calculations."

Previously, Mayor Moon had announced his intention to run for Mayor of Gwangju and was scheduled to resign on January 8, but abruptly withdrew his resignation, citing his commitment to pursuing administrative integration between the city and province. However, on January 20, he withdrew his application for the preliminary candidate qualification review for metropolitan government heads and instead applied for the review for local government heads, prompting criticism from the local political community that he has effectively shifted to seeking a third term.