UNDP Primary Candidates Urge Chung’s Resignation

The United New Democratic Party (UNDP)’s primary race has become increasingly chaotic as candidates called for the frontrunner’s resignation amid disputes over illegal campaigns.

Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Sohn Hak-gyu and former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan urged former Uri Party Chairman Chung Dong-young to stop his campaign for the presidency, saying yesterday that police investigation confirmed a member of Chung’s camp from the former Uri Party directed a registration of an electoral college by surreptitiously using President Roh Moo-hyun’s name.

Lawmaker Kim Hyeong-ju, spokesperson for former PM Lee, held a press conference in the National Assembly and said, “It would be a duty for the party and the nation if former Chairman Chung admits his wrongdoings and step down from candidacy.”

In response, lawmaker Roh Ung-rae, representing Chung, flatly rejected the resignation request by saying that demand for frontrunner’s resignation equals to no primary at all and that a personal mistake made by Chung’s follower must not be considered as his own error.

The police banned Jongno-gu lawmaker Jeong In-hun (45, female) from leaving Korea and sought an arrest warrant for the Chung Dong-young loyalist on charges of directing three people including her son, a college student by his surname Park (19), to put President Roh’s name on the registry of electoral college to win primaries.

The police also found that many people including Park falsely registered 97 men and women including President Roh.

Jeong In-hun, a UNDP proportional representative and district lawmaker, is suspected of handing over the Uri Party member list to his son, Park, and his two friends so that they could register them on an electoral college at a cybercafé.

The camp of former governor Sohn also held a news conference in the National Assembly and unveiled Jeong’s business card where a title of “director General for Chung Dong-young Seoul/ Female campaign council” was inscribed.

UNDP spokesperson Lee Nak-yeon said that supreme leaders decided to take disciplinary action against Chung through a due process.

Former Uri Party Chairman Chung responded by expressing his regrets in a joint rally for Daejeon and Chungcheong Province held at Baejae University, Seo-gu, Daejeon. He said he is sorry for the unfortunate event caused by an overzealous enthusiast and for disappointing the public and the party.

However, former PM Lee’s aid and joint campaign council chairman Shin Gi-nam met with UNDP leadership and urged the resignation of Chung saying that a candidate engaged in fraudulent campaign activities should be disqualified, and called for adjustment of primary schedule unless corrective measures are taken.

Lawmaker Woo Sang-ho, representing former Governor Sohn, also demanded from party leadership countermeasures against illegal campaign activities and expressed skepticism over sticking with the originally scheduled primary timetable.

The Sohn camp also revealed in yesterday’s news conference photos of documents backing suspicions over the Chung camp mobilizing vehicles to field voters from Chung’s camp. The Lee camp also disclosed suspicions over the Chung camp illicitly using call centers to receive registration as voters’ proxy.

In response, the Chung camp raised suspicions on its part over the Sohn and Lee camps

in a National Assembly news conference. It said that members of the Sohn camp received registration in proxy and engaged in illegal phone campaign activities, and that the Lee camp also forged signatures of an electoral college and mobilized vehicles to carry voters.

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