Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
LKP chief asks President to explain Cheong Wa Dae's alleged election intervention
Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), speaks during a seminar held at the National Assembly, Friday. Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
Main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn urged President Moon Jae-in to address suspicions that the presidential office intervened in last year's local elections for Ulsan city mayor.
Hwang also pledged to form a special committee to call for a special counsel and a parliamentary investigation into the suspicions amid escalating tension between Cheong Wa Dae and the prosecution.
“It has become more obvious that Cheong Wa Dae was involved in the election for Ulsan city mayor… The LKP will form a special committee on the corruption scandal to call for a special counsel and a parliamentary investigation and start rallies against the government,” Hwang said during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Monday.
“Cheong Wa Dae and an investigative agency pressured a candidate of the opposition party and rigged public opinion using every possible method. This is something that should not occur and is obvious election rigging,” he claimed on Facebook Saturday.
“Cheong Wa Dae is trying to hide its corruption charges by rephrasing remarks, which is an act of cowardice. I don't want to listen to presidential aides' lies any more. Now, it is time for President Moon Jae-in to directly explain,” Hwang added. He also raised suspicions of the presidential office's involvement in the bribery allegation of Yoo Jae-soo, former Busan vice mayor, and Wooridul Hospital for receiving preferential treatment from the government.
Regarding the move, the party will hold a rally at Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on Dec. 14 to protest Moon's close aides' involvement in the corruption scandals.
He continued to make such remarks for days after the prosecution started investigating key presidential officials over the suspicions that Cheong Wa Dae intervened in the 2018 local election involving former Ulsan City Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon by ordering police to investigate Kim's aides for alleged corruption. Song Byung-gi, the current city's vice mayor on economic affairs, has also been summoned by prosecutors over allegations that he spoke to Cheong Wa Dae about Kim.
Opposition parties have been claiming that Cheong Wa Dae used its power to get the current mayor, Song Cheol-ho, a confidant of President Moon Jae-in and a ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) member elected. The clashes came amid escalating tensions between the presidential office and the prosecution since the former's prosecution reform drive has been facing a backlash from the latter.
Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Ko Min-jung, meanwhile, criticized the prosecution on Facebook, Friday, for targeting a deceased former Cheong Wa Dae inspector before saying that the prosecution didn't express regret for investigating the wrong person. The former inspector was found dead Dec. 1 and was suspected of having gathered information against the former Ulsan mayor on orders from the presidential office.
Hwang's move is also in line with the party's attempts to tarnish the reputation of Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling bloc before the general election in April and raise the awareness of the LKP.
“Cheong Wa Dae violated the Constitution by illegally intervening in an election, which is the foundation of democracy, and privatizing power,” Rep. Kim Sung-won claimed Saturday, adding that the presidential office and the DPK should cooperate with the prosecution's investigation.
Kim Jung-hwa, spokeswoman of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, also stepped up criticism of stating Cheong Wa Dae Saturday that Ko politicized the deceased official, claiming that it became more obvious that (Cheong Wa Dae) intervened the election for Ulsan city mayor.