Kang Jin-won, 66, the mayor of Gangjin County in South Jeolla Province, urged the leadership of the Democratic Party on the 10th to immediately guarantee him the opportunity to participate in the party primary for the June local elections.
At a press conference at the Puso Center in Gangjin-eup on the 10th, Kang said the Seoul Southern District Court had granted an injunction suspending the disciplinary ruling and restored his party membership, yet the Democratic Party still refuses to allow him to compete in the primary. He said this directly contradicts the court’s intent and effectively nullifies the court’s decision, calling the situation unjustifiable.
Kang warned that pressing ahead with the primary while ignoring the court ruling would amount to the Democratic Party undermining its own fairness and principles. He said that if the current situation continues, it will be recorded as an indelible stain on the party’s history.
He added that if a fair primary is not guaranteed, he would have no choice but to determine his political course by consulting county residents directly — remarks widely interpreted as signaling a possible independent run.
In December, the party’s Ethics Tribunal suspended Kang’s party membership for one year over alleged illegal recruitment of party members. After a retrial, the tribunal reduced the suspension to six months.
On Jan. 30, Kang challenged the penalty as unfair and filed for an injunction with the Seoul Southern District Court to suspend the suspension of party rights. The court granted that injunction on Feb. 26.
However, the court dismissed his separate petition seeking to suspend his disqualification as a preliminary candidate for the June 3 local elections, and the Democratic Party’s central committee relied on that dismissal to deny his request to reopen the eligibility review for his preliminary-candidate status.
In a written reply yesterday to Kang’s request to resume primary procedures, the Democratic Party said its bylaws contain no provision to reopen a concluded preliminary-candidate eligibility review and that it has no separate procedure for doing so. The party asked the public to understand that primary procedures must proceed according to strict, pre-established rules.
