The Democratic Party criticized the People Power Party on May 24 for focusing solely on malicious attacks ahead of the June 3 local elections. They called for an apology from Kim Kwan-young, the gubernatorial candidate for North Jeolla Province, for his false claims of collusion with President Lee Jae-myung regarding his independent candidacy.
Kang Jun-hyun, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, held a press conference at the National Assembly and stated, "In the lead-up to the local elections, the People Power Party has spent the past week attacking the Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling party over the Starbucks 5.18 Democracy Movement controversy. They have yet to present any substantial election strategy to the public beyond their malicious smear tactics."
He continued, "Representative Jang Dong-hyuk has treated the emphasis on the spirit of May 18 as if it were an act of intimidation against the public, while Representative Na Kyung-won claims that the government and ruling party are engaging in a witch hunt. This is a serious insult to the history of those who fell victim to state violence, and the public is rightfully outraged."
Kang Jun-hyun, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, held a press conference at the National Assembly and stated, "In the lead-up to the local elections, the People Power Party has spent the past week attacking the Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling party over the Starbucks 5.18 Democracy Movement controversy. They have yet to present any substantial election strategy to the public beyond their malicious smear tactics."
He continued, "Representative Jang Dong-hyuk has treated the emphasis on the spirit of May 18 as if it were an act of intimidation against the public, while Representative Na Kyung-won claims that the government and ruling party are engaging in a witch hunt. This is a serious insult to the history of those who fell victim to state violence, and the public is rightfully outraged."
Kang added, "The government and ruling party have not forced anger or boycotts upon anyone. It is the People Power Party that has misused the call to correct a flawed historical perspective as a tool for political strife and election campaigning. This is not a normal way of thinking."
He accused Jang of attempting to launch an indiscriminate smear campaign against Park Soo-hyun, the candidate for South Chungcheong Province, stating, "Despite a decision indicating that verification of the facts is difficult, they continue to exploit this during elections. The Democratic Party is considering legal action, including filing complaints, against the repeated and malicious dissemination of false information."
Additionally, Kang criticized Kim for his claims of prior communication with President Lee regarding his independent candidacy. He stated, "After verifying the facts through the Blue House, we received confirmation that these claims are entirely false. This is a political maneuver to gain advantage under the president's name and an act of defamation by invoking the president's name deceitfully in the election."
Kang concluded, "Rather than reflecting on the mistakes that led to losing their candidacy due to cash distribution, Kim has hastily declared his independent run and is now making absurd claims. I urge him to acknowledge his misuse of the president's name for electoral purposes and to apologize promptly to President Lee, the Democratic Party, and the citizens of North Jeolla Province."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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