Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party (PPP) directly criticized PPP Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk for departing for the United States with roughly 50 days remaining before local elections, arguing that his absence is causing harm to candidates as nomination decisions are being delayed.
Bae, who serves as chair of the PPP Seoul Chapter, said during a CBS radio appearance Wednesday, "The top priority right now should be quickly deciding on candidates so that those who must campaign in difficult circumstances don't waste even a single day." She added, "With the election becoming more difficult, I suspect he left with a mindset of giving up—for the sake of his own future political moves."
She pointed out that Jang's early departure has also delayed the confirmation of Seoul Chapter nominations. "The Seoul Chapter held an operations committee meeting last Friday and completed approval deliberations for nearly 200 candidates, and I was informed this would be submitted to the Supreme Council on Monday," Bae said. "However, I was later informed that the chairman instructed not to proceed with the vote and said he would handle it after his return."
She continued, "The agenda items that the city and provincial chapters carefully reviewed and submitted essentially only have the voting procedure remaining. The chairman could have delegated authority, or even while in the U.S., could have said he would handle it through electronic approval. Insisting on processing it after his return on the 17th effectively holds candidates hostage for a week for no reason."
Bae also directly refuted the party leadership's explanation that "Supreme Council votes are possible even without the chairman present." She said, "I didn't say this out of ignorance. This could be resolved if they vote this Thursday or if the chairman agrees to vote electronically from the U.S." She added, "Delaying despite this is ultimately an extremely self-centered and irresponsible decision."
"The damage from lost time is significant, and if he continues to be a burden that holds candidates back, he should know that the consequences he will have to bear will only grow," she said, adding that "a situation could arise where Chairman Jang's political return becomes difficult."
