2024-07-12 23:24:44
“During the general election, I thought a lot about the bandaged hand of former President Park Geun-hye that I saw on TV a long time ago.” (Candidate Han Dong-hoon)
“There is a line in the movie ‘The Godfather’: ‘If there is anyone who arranges reconciliation with the enemy, he is a traitor.’” (Candidate Won Hee-ryong)
Won Hee-ryong and Na Kyung-won, who ran as party representative candidates for the People Power Party’s July 23rd convention, launched a barrage of criticism at candidate Han Dong-hoon at the third joint speech held on the 12th. On the other hand, candidate Han omitted the critical content aimed at candidate Won, which was included in the speech distributed to the press in advance, from his actual speech. Instead, candidate Han appealed to the support of party members in Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK) by stimulating nostalgia for former Presidents Park Chung-hee and Park Geun-hye.
The party’s election management committee took its first official sanctions against candidates Han and Won, who clashed in a televised debate the day before. The level of the candidates’ speeches was lowered amid the party leadership’s warning that “they should not go to the suicide squad any longer,” but the war of nerves outside the party continued.
●Won “Pained by Park Geun-hye’s impeachment” Han “Park Geun-hye is truly a great person”
At the joint Daegu-Gyeongbuk speech of the People Power Party convention held at BEXCO in Buk-gu, Daegu on this day, one candidate said, “I respect former President Park Chung-hee’s great decision regarding the heavy chemical industry,” and “It was a great scene that brought the Republic of Korea to where it is today.” He added, “I visited former President Park Geun-hye during the general election period, and she was truly a great person. I was touched,” and “She told me in detail how she used to bandage her hands and take care of her neck.” Earlier that day, regarding the investigation into the past state affairs scandal, one candidate added, “I feel deeply sorry toward former President Park,” and “I feel very sorry.”
Originally, one candidate included in the speech distributed in advance a frontal criticism of candidate Won, such as “Won Hee-ryong’s politics are old-fashioned politics that must be liquidated,” and “Let’s blow away the double-barreled ideology and dirty personal attacks in one fell swoop.” However, this was omitted from the actual speech on the spot. A source from candidate Han’s camp explained, “We adjusted the level of the speech in consideration of concerns that the convention could become even more violent due to continued negative attacks on the opposing candidate.”
Candidate Won continued his aggressive offensive against candidate Han that day. Candidate Won stated, “The Democratic Party’s impeachment train has already departed,” and “But they are still saying, like fools, that Chae Sang-byung should be investigated as a special prosecutor.” He continued, “The moment the ruling party turns its back on the president, we will all be ruined,” and asked, “Didn’t former President Park and the party leader clash and end up impeached, ruining us all?” This is interpreted as a targeting candidate Han, who has stood at odds with President Yoon Seok-yeol and proposed a special prosecutor bill for Chae Sang-byung recommended by a third party.
Candidate Won also said, “How much pain did we suffer because of the impeachment of former President Park? It may have been the ‘flower of my life’ for some, but we all went through hell.” He was targeting Candidate Han’s remark when he was Minister of Justice that “the flower of my life as a prosecutor would be the investigations during the early days of the Moon Jae-in administration (Park Geun-hye administration).”
Candidate Na targeted a candidate who brought up party intervention in the controversy over “ignoring Ms. Kim Gun-hee’s Telegram messages,” saying, “Is that party intervention?” and “If that candidate becomes that kind of candidate, the party and government will be ruined.” Candidate Na said to candidate Won of the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) camp, “A candidate who blindly follows Yongsan is absolutely unacceptable.” In the morning, Candidate Na targeted Candidate Han and Candidate Won, saying, “They are dangerously driving without a license, putting the party and the ruling party at risk for their own benefit,” and “They are driving recklessly because they have a mental breakdown due to their approval ratings.” Candidate Yoon Sang-hyun said, “I will step forward so that former President Park Geun-hye’s honor can be restored and our conservative presidents of the past can be properly evaluated.” Candidate Yoon met with reporters and urged the publication of a white paper on the general election, saying, “The text message and Sacheon controversies are because the white paper on the general election has not been published.”
● The ruling party leadership: “Self-destruction, self-harm conventions must disappear”
As the mutual slander among the candidates for the convention intensified, the leadership of the People Power Party also publicly raised a warning voice. People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho said at a floor strategy meeting this morning, “I hear that the two things that are causing the most concern to the people these days are the Korea Football Association and the People Power Party convention,” and “At least during the remaining convention period, criticism that this is a self-destructive, self-harming convention should disappear.”
As the convention continued to heat up, the People Power Party’s National Convention Election Commission took its first official sanctions against candidates Han and Won. The Election Commission said, “We sent a ‘warning and corrective order’ sanctions notice to candidates Won and Han for violating the party constitution and regulations during the party representative debate held the day before.” The Election Commission explained that after a stronger warning or referral to the ethics committee, they could face disadvantages in participating in joint speeches, etc. The People Power Party’s Central Ethics Committee is also reportedly considering preemptive warnings, etc., due to concerns about the convention overheating.
Reporter Lee Sang-heon [email protected]
Daegu = Reporter Kim Seong-mo [email protected]
2024-07-12 23:24:44