The Democratic Party of Korea stripped Park Seong-hyeon, a preliminary candidate for Gwangyang mayor who is under suspicion of illegal electioneering, of eligibility to run in the primary.
According to the Democratic Party of Korea's South Jeolla Provincial Party Election Commission on the 5th, it decided to proceed with selecting the Gwangyang mayoral nominee through a two-way primary between Kim Tae-gyun and Jeong In-hwa, excluding Park. The primary schedule remains the same and will be held on the 6th–7th using the citizen participation primary method (50% rights party members, 50% safe-number voters).
The measure follows a recommendation by the party's supreme council. The supreme council determined there were serious issues with Park's eligibility and asked the South Jeolla Provincial Party election commission to take strong action, including disqualification.
Park is suspected of running an illegal phone-promotion operation to campaign in the primary and of attempting to provide money or valuables to campaign workers. Earlier, the South Jeolla Provincial Election Commission reported 15 people, including a preliminary candidate and primary campaign workers, to police over related allegations.
During the crackdown, authorities uncovered signs that multiple people at a single location were using mobile phones to conduct an organized primary campaign. On site, several million won in cash, along with lists of primary campaign workers, large-scale voter contact information, and analyses of voter support tendencies, were reportedly seized.
The Democratic Party's South Jeolla Provincial Party said, "The primary will proceed as a two-person race, and there is no change to the schedule." With this measure, the Gwangyang mayoral primary has shifted from a three-way contest to a head-to-head race.