"I'll end your political career if you defy me" — Controversy over Acting Head Choi Seong-won's remarks, Candidate Jeong Cheong-rae 'consistently unaware'

Acting Head Choi claimed he would appoint the secretary-general by his own decision and threatened to end Councilor Yeo's political career if she opposed him.

Acting Head Choi Seong-won directly stated, “So, if you threaten me, I’ll like you even more. I'll like it. … Why would I bother, I could end Yeo Hyeon-jeong's political career. … If you defy me, do you think I would forgive that?”

The panelists concluded that Acting Head Choi Seong-won's remarks clearly constituted grounds for disciplinary action. The host emphasized the seriousness of the remarks, saying, "Just those remarks alone, I think, are definitely grounds for discipline."

They criticized the central party for ignoring such issues, arguing that it condones arbitrary operations within the region, and insisted on prompt action.

The host pointed out the operational status of the Democratic Party in the Yeoju-Yangpyeong area, stating, "Indeed, the place that most explicitly reveals the naked truth is Yeoju-Yangpyeong with Acting Head Choi Seong-won." It was noted that the opinions of critical figures within the region, such as County Councilor Yeo Hyeon-jeong, were being blocked at the central party level.

Furthermore, suspicions were raised that a hidden force supportive of Acting Head Choi exists within the regional organization, leading to a perception that regional issues cannot be resolved without intervention from the central party.

The host expressed this suspicion, saying, "When he says 'I could end Yeo Hyeon-jeong's political career,' it means he has people with that kind of power behind him."

They emphasized that replacing Acting Head Choi Seong-won is urgent to normalize the regional organization, and active intervention at the central party level is necessary.

The host said, "I'm tired of the 'one team' talk. So tired. Our candidate Jeong Cheong-rae's 'Party-Government-Cheong one team, one voice'," pointing out that such slogans hinder genuine communication and discussion.

This phenomenon is particularly linked to the party culture since the Jeong Cheong-rae era and is a concern as it undermines intra-party democracy.

The host questioned the background of reporter Kim Hyeon-sul writing an article that defended Acting Head Choi Seong-won. Mentioning the tendency to believe that those criticizing Acting Head Choi are on Councilor Yeo Hyeon-jeong's side, the host conveyed the sentiment that for the Democratic Party to do well, Acting Head Choi needs to neutrally place the entire matter within the system.

The possibility that criticism of Councilor Yeo Hyeon-jeong was conveyed through central party connections was also raised, leading to criticism that local media might be acting as spokespersons for specific factions.

This was highlighted as an example of a lack of communication within the party and the central party's indifference to regional issues.

Specifically, the reporter asked, "The Democratic Party caused a lot of controversy by nominating Yoon Yong-jo in Yeoju-Yangpyeong. Are you aware of such issues, and if so, why was it carried out as it was?" aiming to confirm if there was a central party directive for nominating candidates from the People Power Party.

These questions represented the voices demanding transparent nomination processes and seeking to address the dissatisfaction of local party members.

He repeatedly answered 'not well aware' regarding the nomination guidelines for candidates from the People Power Party, avoiding a clear explanation for the questions.

The host questioned, "And then there were people who went to the party headquarters to appeal, holding a press conference saying Choi Seong-won must go. How could you not know?" pointing out that candidate Jeong Cheong-rae could not have been unaware of such opposing public opinion.

This led to criticism that the central party ignored clear opposing public opinion, even when party members directly appealed to them.

Reporter Kwon Ji-won revealed that as she continued to ask questions, party officials began to follow her as if assigned to a specific mark. She explained, "When I tried to ask questions, I started to face interference. It always happens that when I ask such questions, people like my personal mark follow me."

Interference came in the form of warnings not to monopolize valuable time, which was criticized as an act hindering the free journalistic activities of the press.

She directly criticized him, saying, "In the case of Yeoju-Yangpyeong, a sole appointment was made this time. Could you perhaps comment on this? Isn't it irresponsible for you to leave with this issue unresolved?"

This revealed the reporter's strong dissatisfaction with the candidate's attempt to evade responsibility for the questions and leave.

This reaction was criticized as an attitude that evades responsibility for the controversy and attempts to suppress the questioner.

The host explained the situation, saying, "It seems a complaint came from the lawmaker's office. So, the reporter was told to take the elevator and went up, but if you receive an entry pass with that ID card, you can only be on the first floor. To go upstairs, you need a separate entry pass for that floor, and they said the reporter went up without it."

The reporter's resident registration card was withheld for going up without the appropriate floor's entry pass, which was criticized as another pressure tactic infringing on the freedom of journalistic activity.