It is utter chaos.
This is the story of the Democratic Party of Korea's primary for Muan County mayor in South Jeolla Province ahead of the June 3 local elections.
Since the region is effectively one where "Democratic Party nomination equals election victory," critics are pointing to the party's arrogance.
The fallout from a police raid tied to suspicions of Public Official Election Act violations, conducted immediately after the primary, has completely split the local community in two, and the aftershocks are growing more uncontrollable as time passes.
Regarding the raid, one side is pressuring for resignation, treating it as a serious matter that could undermine the fairness of elections and the very foundation of democracy, while the other side counters that a simple administrative procedural issue, not a major matter, is being distorted as if it were a serious crime.
Muan County was a region where negative campaigning was relatively scarce during the fierce competition of the Democratic Party primary.
The final contenders.
Kim San vs. Na Kwang-kook.
An election battle shrouded in fog, with no way to see even one step ahead.
After an extremely close contest, Kim San, a preliminary candidate seeking a third term, ultimately defeated preliminary candidate Na Kwang-kook, who had run on a personality-based campaign.
Up until that point, whatever the inner feelings may have been, the winner and loser appeared gracious on the outside.
Na, who narrowly missed victory, declared that he "accepts the primary result" through his Facebook and messages immediately after the primary, and did not forget to express heartfelt gratitude to the Muan County residents who had supported him.
In an election, where there is a winner, there must also be a loser.
The Muan County mayoral race seemed set to end this way.
However, just a few hours later, police launched a forcible investigation into suspicions that Kim San had violated the Public Official Election Act, throwing the local community into chaos.
Muan Police Station dispatched more than 10 investigators to Muan County Office on the morning of the 23rd to execute a search and seizure warrant.
Since the investigation, including fact-checking, is ongoing, details of the raid cannot be accessed, but some understanding could be gained from the complaint filed with the Muan County Election Commission on the 7th.
There are three key points at issue.
They are "pre-election campaigning and illegal rally hosting using loudspeakers," "violation of restrictions on the use of amplifying devices," and "campaigning by persons prohibited from campaigning, such as village heads and civil servants."
Among these, the part currently clearly identified is the violation of the prohibition on pre-election campaigning (Article 254, Paragraph 2). This portion (violation of restrictions on amplifying device use) can also be confirmed in videos circulating in the media.
The problem is the mobilization of village heads and civil servants, which amounts to state-sponsored election interference. While hasty speculation cannot be made until it is confirmed, this is a serious matter that shakes the foundation of democracy and damages fair elections.
Naturally, Na raised the issue.
As mentioned earlier, since this Democratic Party primary final showed an extremely close pattern, not only final contender Na but also the Muan County residents who supported him appear to have been shocked by the raid.
Indeed, with Na at the center, joined by former candidates Choi Ok-soo and Ryu Chun-oh, a press conference was held in the briefing room of the South Jeolla Provincial Council on the 24th, the day after the raid. They strongly urged that "suspicions of pre-election campaigning before preliminary candidate registration and the Election Commission's delayed response are serious matters that have escalated the state-sponsored election controversy," and that "the truth must be uncovered through a thorough and swift investigation without external pressure."
Since, by common sense, the fact that police have proceeded with a search and seizure is generally viewed as reflecting confidence in the investigation, it seems clear that Na's voice is growing louder.
Kim has also issued a strong position.
He argues that the press conference venue where he declared his candidacy was coordinated in advance with the Election Commission, and that claims of mobilizing village heads and other personnel are groundless. He further explained that the chants at the event were personal expressions by supporters and that he had requested restraint. He also announced legal procedures against the controversy over rejecting the primary result and against distorted and exaggerated reporting by some media, taking a hardline response.
Kim's side also criticized Na, saying, "Raising issues with the rules and denying the results only after defeat is hardly the attitude of a responsible politician."
Kim's side appears to take the position that the police raid is "excessive, given that there is no evidence and no illegal matter whatsoever."
What has shaken this Muan County mayoral primary is not the confrontation between Kim and Na, but the police raid.
That is why there are calls for the Democratic Party to step in urgently.
With the results of the police investigation following the raid and the controversy over the fairness of the Muan County Election Commission's investigation intertwined, attention is focused on the Democratic Party's judgment.
Public Official Election Act cases are handled under the "633 Principle (mandatory provision)," which stipulates sentencing within six months for the first trial and three months each for the second and third trials for swift processing, and are heard more quickly than ordinary criminal cases. However, forecasts suggest that even if elected in the June 3 local elections, the winner will be plagued by trials throughout the term.
As a result, with the race decided by such a narrow margin, voices calling for thorough verification of the fairness and neutrality of the entire election process are growing louder. Some are casting suspicious glances at the Democratic Party's delayed response, noting that in the case of the Gwangyang mayor, the matter was handled swiftly and decisively as soon as problems emerged.
In particular, there are also pointed out that if the police raid was excessive, the police will not be free from responsibility for shaking the local community.
The Democratic Party, a major party that has gone through countless elections up to now.
Since they (the Democratic Party) know better than anyone whether this is a violation of the Public Official Election Act or not, it appears they must swiftly organize their position on "whether to cut ties or to back him to the end." This is all the more so for the Muan County residents who are suffering undeserved harm.
Above all, amid criticism that the Democratic Party's South Jeolla Provincial Chapter has effectively let go, the longer the position is delayed, the more the division in the Muan local community will clearly deepen.
