Uri Chairman Chung’s Remarks on People’s Participation 0415 May Cause Controversy

People’s Participation 0415, the pro-president campaign organization aimed at electing particular candidates, is the soundest form of participatory democracy, Rep. Chung Dong-young, the chairman of the Uri Party, said on February 19.

His remarks on the group may cause controversy as the Korea Election Commission advised People’s Participation to restrain itself from irregularities on February 16, warning that it could be reduced to a private organization to support a particular political party’s electoral campaign.

“Apart from People’s Participation 0415, where can we find the dynamics of Korean society?” Chung asked back, when asked about the need for legal action against the group at a forum sponsored by the Kwanghun Club, a group organized by senior journalists. He went on and said, “It is time to break with the discipline-oriented mindset.”

Regarding the April National Assembly election, Chung said, “The minimum goal of the party is 100 seats, the number that allows us to block attempts at amending the constitution. If I fail to achieve this goal I will certainly resign from the chairmanship.” He added, “Us winning in the 100s will amount to President Roh’s winning of a vote of confidence.” Asked how he funded his campaign for the chairmanship of the Millennium Democracy Party, from which Uri splintered two years ago, he answered, “I campaigned by myself, unlike other candidates who mobilized their organizations.” He added, “I spent money within legal limits, and the amount I spent was not drastically different from the amount the current MDP chairman Chough Soon-hyung used for his campaign last year (98 million won).”

Seung-Heon Lee ddr@donga.com