Why Muan Public Workers Are Rallying for Democratic Rights: A Deep Dive into Their Support for Candidate Na Kwang-guk

“Is it a crime to support a candidate who sincerely listened to our urgent concerns?”

The Muan County Public Workers Union took to the streets, expressing its outrage.

Their reason was clear, and their message was loud:

“Stop any attempt to distort or suppress democratic decision-making and lawful political participation immediately.”

In a statement, they accused the Muan County administration of political interference and reaffirmed their support for Na Gwang-guk, the Democratic Party candidate in the June 3 local elections.

The Muan County public workers union said, “We faced pressure to quit the union, coercion, and attempts at political intervention,” calling those actions violations of basic labor rights. If those allegations are substantiated, the fallout could be significant.

At a press conference on the 10th, representatives from the public workers unions of Mokpo City and Hwasun County attended and pledged a coordinated response, suggesting the dispute could spread across the local labor movement.

The union’s repeated endorsement of a specific candidate is notable and atypical.

The endorsement followed an anonymous vote held April 1–2. Of 175 union members, 128 participated (a 73.1% turnout), and Na Gwang-guk received 66 votes (51.6%), securing the final endorsement.

The union stressed that the policy agreement reflected members’ autonomous judgment within legal bounds and said the election commission’s inquiry found no evidence of external pressure.

Despite that, some have tried to frame the issue as partisan conflict and appear to be using the union to stage protests.

On the disputed issue of the 150% retirement pay, the union said the matter is still under review to address pay disparities among public workers at the same workplace. They argued that comparing these workers to civil servants with different pay systems and employment statuses misrepresents the facts.

“Based on the policy agreement with Na Gwang-guk, we will fight to the end to improve labor conditions and protect our members’ rights,” the Muan County public workers union said.

They reiterated that the decision was democratic and worked to make that clear to Muan County residents.

“We support Na Gwang-guk, the Democratic Party’s candidate.”