The People Power Party urged a thorough investigation into allegations that a specific religious group was mobilized to support Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's bid for Seoul mayor. It added that if the allegations are true, Kim should take responsibility and resign.
Floor leader Song Eon-seok of the People Power Party said at the "standing committee chairs and secretary group meeting" at the National Assembly on the morning of the 1st, "The recording released by Rep. Jin Jong-oh contains very serious content," adding, "There is an expression that the Democratic Party colluded with a particular religion to recruit 3,000 party members and to cover six months of party dues totaling 18 million won."
A day earlier, Rep. Jin released a recording that said a Seoul city council member from the Democratic Party planned to enroll 3,000 followers of a religious group into the Democratic Party to back Kim in next year's local election for Seoul mayor. In the recording, when the tipster asks, "Back in the primary days, do orders No. 1 and No. 2 come down again?" the city council member replies, "Let's go with Kim Min-seok. With Kim Min-seok."
At the meeting that day, Jin said, "Seoul City Council member Kim Gyeong of the Democratic Party attempted to secure a list of 3,000 followers of a religious group to boost Kim in next year's Democratic Party local primary, and to make them party members with voting rights, he coaxed and manipulated to cover 18 million won in party dues," adding, "The Democratic Party's hypocrisy is now truly shameful and tiresome."
He continued, "This is not a problem of a single Democratic Party city council member. Stop cutting off the tail and reveal the body," adding, "I hope Kim himself will state whether he is connected to this attempted election rigging and face the investigation with confidence. And if the allegations are true, resign."
Jin also said, "The prime minister is an important post that looks after people's livelihoods and coordinates overall state affairs after the president. It is not a leisurely position to be used as a lever for the next local elections or the party leadership race," adding, "I suspect that while pretending to care about livelihoods in front, he may be secretly dreaming of something else behind the people's backs."