The Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday demanded that investigative authorities respond to what it called clear violations of election law by independent candidate Han Dong-hoon, who is running in the by-election for Busan's Buk-gu A district. The party accused Han's supporters of setting up a "quasi-campaign office," moving aggressively to check Han as his support base rapidly grew in what has emerged as the most fiercely contested battleground of the June 3 local and by-elections.
Cho Seung-rae, head of the Democratic Party's general election strategy headquarters, held a press briefing at the National Assembly on Tuesday and said, "Groups including Han's fan club have led organized campaign activities. They have leased a specific location and are running it as a 'rest area,' using it as a campaign base under that name." He added, "If it were voluntary, that would be one thing, but if they are conducting an organized campaign, it is a serious problem, and a serious situation will arise for Han as well." He continued, "I hope the National Election Commission will swiftly investigate and assess the situation and refer it to investigative agencies."
Earlier, allegations surfaced that some of Han's supporters in Busan's Buk-gu A district had leased an office in the area and were effectively operating it as a campaign office. While nominally a "rest area" for volunteers, it was reportedly being used as a base for campaign activities. According to some media reports, the National Election Commission and the police received a complaint and conducted an on-site investigation of the rest area office located in Deokcheon-dong, Buk-gu, Busan.
"Han's organized volunteers were caught renting buses to come to Busan's Buk-gu and setting up offices," Cho said. He sharpened his attack, adding, "Does anyone think Han will use Buk-gu A as a political stepping stone and stay there? Few people would believe that."
Regarding recent opinion poll results showing Han narrowing the gap with Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo to a near dead heat, Cho said, "It is not appropriate to assess the situation based on a single poll." But he added, "Whether conservative or progressive, when consolidation occurs, some abstain and some shift to other candidates. I understand this as signs that voters are moving toward consolidation."
Cho also issued a warning to People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, who had raised past allegations about Democratic Party South Chungcheong gubernatorial candidate Park Soo-hyun in a Facebook post. "The leader of the largest opposition party, a public party, has spread false information that should never have been disseminated. We will absolutely hold him legally and politically accountable," Cho said. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Jang raised allegations of Park's past extramarital affairs. The Democratic Party filed a complaint against Jang on Monday for spreading false information under the Public Official Election Act.
Cho also took direct aim at the Rebuilding Korea Party, which has been criticizing the Democratic Party's campaign process, saying, "Stop telling our party what to do." He noted, "We have not said a single word about the Rebuilding Korea Party's behavior," and pointed out, "The Rebuilding Korea Party is gathering people who have been expelled or disciplined by our party in many regions and making them candidates. I want to ask whether this is normal candidate nomination."
Regarding the Ulsan mayoral election, where a unification poll was suspended midway, Cho said, "The agreement on candidate unification remains valid." He added, "The poll was halted because the polling agency detected unusual patterns. The agreement requires conducting the poll in a way that does not distort the will of citizens."
