Translation result.
As the contest to choose South Korea’s Democratic Party nominee for Hanam mayor nears, intra-party rivalries have escalated into public accusations and legal filings.
Oh Su-bong, the city’s former mayor, held a 10 a.m. press briefing on the 3rd in the Hanam City Hall media room, demanding that fellow Democratic contender Kang Byung-deok explain a series of complaints and allegations lodged against him.
Oh said Kang is the subject of three separate complaints: a report to the Hanam Election Commission alleging dissemination of false information, plus two police complaints — one alleging financial fraud and another alleging false statement publication.
“We must prevent a nominee with these unresolved risks from representing our party in the mayoral race,” Oh said, calling for Kang’s explanation and urging the Democratic Party’s national office and its Gyeonggi provincial chapter to conduct a prompt, rigorous investigation and take appropriate action.
Following Oh’s statement, Kang held a rebuttal at the same venue. He accused Oh of making false claims and said the election commission had confirmed no complaint was on file. Kang added that police had assessed the matter as minor and unlikely to pose a substantive problem.
On the alleged financial fraud, Kang said he borrowed 10 million KRW (about $7,500) last year from an acquaintance he met through his campaign work and repaid both principal and interest in full within the same year.
Kang said that, as the election approached, the acquaintance began demanding meetings. After Kang declined, the acquaintance suddenly accused him of fraud. Kang said he has already given a police statement and submitted all supporting documentation.
He said he will release the written IOU and the bank records he provided to police and added that he filed a criminal complaint today against the acquaintance for false accusation and attempted extortion.
Oh, in turn, said he plans to file complaints under the Public Official Election Act for publishing false information, for candidate defamation, and for defamation via publications.
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