Ruling and opposition parties clashed over Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok's memo reading "Seoul mayoral candidate." The People Power Party criticized that, while the trial of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is underway, Kim is treating a by-election as a foregone conclusion and pressuring the judiciary. The Democratic Party said it was an unreasonable offensive that twists a simple political outlook into "intimidating the judiciary."
Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson of the People Power Party, said in a commentary on the 12th that Kim "presumed the outcome of an ongoing trial at will," adding that "by floating a shortlist for the Seoul mayoral race as if a by-election were a given, he is taking the lead in pressuring the judiciary and misleading public opinion."
Park said, "This behavior of punching the calculator for divvying up power is an infringement on judicial independence and a political threat against the judiciary," adding, "Arbitrarily presuming the result before a ruling comes out and trying to set the election board is an anti-constitutional idea that undermines the foundation of the rule of law."
He added, "What Kim should be looking into now is not a notebook scribbled with a hasty election layout," saying, "He should go see the livelihood sites where the people are suffering."
Park also criticized that Minister Park Hong-keun of the Ministry of Planning and Budget expressed his intent to run for Seoul mayor, saying, "Even pouring all efforts into getting the budget bill through the National Assembly would not be enough, yet he is already harboring other ambitions and weighing the Seoul mayor's seat."
In response, Democratic Party spokesperson Lee Yong-woo issued a written briefing and said to the People Power Party, "They are making a fuss over a single line in Kim's memo," adding, "Stop the far-fetched offensive that distorts a simple political outlook into intimidating the judiciary, and first reflect on your own behavior."
Lee said, "It is outrageous when you think about what they themselves have done," adding, "Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon said that while serving as Minister of Justice, he received a request from People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won to drop the indictment in the fast-track case."
He went on, "It was a case in which Na herself was on trial," adding, "What is more serious is that Na appeared on a far-right YouTube broadcast and repeated the claim that the indictment in the case could be dropped depending on changes in the political situation."
He then criticized, "Why is the People Power Party, so strict over a single memo line, endlessly lenient when it comes to their own matters?" adding, "The public is watching closely the brazen double standard that grants exceptions only to their own side."
Lee added, "If you want to talk about fairness and judicial procedure, apply the same standards to your own side."
Kim's notebook was caught by the media on the 9th in the main chamber of the National Assembly. Under the phrase "Seoul mayoral candidate," it listed "Hoon-sik," "Won-sik," "Cheong-rae," and on the next line, "Hyun-jong," "MS."
The next day, appearing on the YouTube channel "Democratic Party TV," Kim explained that they referred respectively to presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik, former Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, former Office of the Minister for Trade head Kim Hyun-jong, and himself.
He added that figures who previously ran in the Democratic Party's Seoul mayoral primary—such as former Seongdong District Mayor Chong Won-o, and lawmakers Park Ju-min, Jeon Hyun-hee, and Seo Young-kyo, as well as Minister Park Hong-keun of the Ministry of Planning and Budget—are naturally included in the pool of candidates.
At the time, Kim said, "I see a 99.99% chance there will be a Seoul mayoral election," adding, "It is only natural to prepare." It is seen as mentioning the need to prepare for a by-election in light of the possibility that the loss-of-office sentence for Mayor Oh, now in his appellate trial, could be finalized.