People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Joo Ho-young said on June 3 that he would "carefully analyze the court's written decision and prudently determine the direction of future response," after the Seoul Southern District Court dismissed his injunction seeking to suspend the effect of his exclusion from the party's nomination for Daegu mayor in the June 3 local elections.
Joo issued a statement after the court's dismissal, saying, "I express deep regret over the court's decision to dismiss the injunction." He added, "In light of the court's decision to grant the injunction for North Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Young-hwan, this ruling is difficult to accept," and said, "Many party members and citizens will inevitably question how entirely different conclusions were reached on the same issue of nomination exclusion."
He went on to criticize that "it is regrettable that the judiciary missed a prime opportunity to correct the undemocratic nature of our party and the endless nomination manipulation in politics." He argued, "The provisions in the Constitution, the Political Parties Act, the Public Official Election Act, and our party charter requiring democratic nomination procedures have been reduced to mere decoration," adding, "Under this decision, the door has been opened for political parties to do whatever they please beyond procedural violations."
Joo emphasized, "I have consistently pointed out that this cutoff has serious problems in both procedure and substance. That awareness remains unchanged."
He stated, "What is clear is that this ruling does not confirm the legitimacy of the entire nomination process," and said, "Separate from the court's judgment, whether this nomination process was a fair and democratic procedure that meets the expectations of party members and citizens must still be rigorously examined." Joo added, "I will deeply reflect on what it means to remain steadfast and uphold principles and common sense to the end."