Chu Mi-ae Criticizes Park Geun-hye's Election Involvement: "A Figure in the State Affairs Scandal Who Owes a Lifetime of Apologies to the People"

Park Visits Yuk Young-soo’s Birthplace
Steps Up Efforts to Consolidate Conservative Base in Election Season

Choo Mi-ae, the Democratic Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, criticized on the 25th, "Park Geun-hye, who should spend her entire life apologizing to the people as the main figure in the state corruption scandal, is now roaming around the election scene."

Choo Mi-ae, the Democratic Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor (center in the photo), is campaigning alongside Jeong Cheong-rae, the Democratic Party's general chief election strategist, and Kim Byung-wook, the candidate for mayor of Seongnam, on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

During the standing election committee meeting held at her campaign office that morning, Choo condemned former President Park Geun-hye's joint visit to a traditional market in Daegu with Choo Kyung-ho, the People Power Party's candidate for Daegu mayor, stating, "This must not be tolerated."

She further remarked, "She is brazenly walking around smiling before the people to support a candidate who is a suspect accused of cooperating with the forces that caused the 12·3 coup d'etat and destroyed the constitutional order."

Within the ruling bloc, there is strong criticism regarding former President Park Geun-hye expanding her activities beyond Daegu to the Chungcheong region during the June 3 local election period.

The Democratic Party's Daejeon branch election campaign committee for the June 3 local elections also issued a statement criticizing Park's visit to encourage Lee Jang-woo, the People Power Party's candidate for Daejeon mayor, saying, "How desperate must they be to call in a former president?" They added, "The hasty moves by Lee and other People Power Party candidates are pitiful." Furthermore, they asserted, "What Lee should focus on is not the former president, but the citizens," and urged, "Remember, hiding behind a former president is not the answer."

Previously, on the 23rd, Kim Boo-kyum's campaign office, the Democratic Party's candidate for Daegu mayor, released a statement evaluating, "Choo Kyung-ho's only campaign strategy was to rally the conservative base, but since even that was unlikely, he requested a rescue appearance from the former president." They downplayed Park's support for Choo as "a result born out of a sense of crisis."

Meanwhile, after visiting Daegu on the 23rd, former President Park Geun-hye has expanded her activities to the Chungcheong region as of today. She is also expected to campaign in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions, as well as Gangwon, later this week. This is interpreted as an effort to rally conservative voters amid the closely contested local election landscape.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.