The Democratic Party of Korea kept up its offensive against People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon over the missing rebar scandal at Samsung Station on the Great Train Express (GTX)-A line in the capital region. It also continued to keep a check on independent North Jeolla governor candidate Kim Kwan-young, who was expelled from the party.
Kang Jun-hyun, the party's chief spokesperson, held a press briefing at the National Assembly on the morning of the 24th and said, "Oh's level of irresponsibility over the Samsung Station missing rebar scandal, which almost imperiled the lives and safety of Seoul residents, is becoming increasingly brazen."
He added, "The person clearly responsible is Mayor Oh Se-hoon. It is only natural to represent the voices of citizens who are calling for accountability," and said, "Oh labeled this as stalking by the entire ruling bloc, but isn't that effectively treating citizens like stalkers?"
Kang also said, "Why has (Oh) not managed to visit the site even once?" and added, "Seoul residents will never want a mayor so fixated on denying reality."
Criticism also continued toward independent candidate Kim Kwan-young, who was expelled from the party and is running in the North Jeolla governor race. Kang said, "Kim remarked that he had prior communication with President Lee Jae-myung about his independent run," adding, "After checking the facts, that is entirely untrue."
He went on, calling it "a political ploy to bask in the president's halo and ride on borrowed authority, and a smear act that falsely invokes the president," and said, "Far from reflecting on the wrongdoing that cost him his qualification as a Democratic Party candidate due to cash handouts, he is running as an independent and, in his haste to win, is spouting far-fetched sophistry."