Jang Dong-hyeok and Kim Jae-seop Step Up Joint Attack Over 'Cancún Trip'... Jung Won-oh Warns of "Legal Action"

[The Financial News] On the 6th, the People Power Party (PPP) ramped up its offensive over Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Seoul Metropolitan City Mayor hopeful Jung Won-oh’s business trip to Cancún, Mexico. The party argued that the three-day, two-night stay in Cancún was a junket-like trip and harshly criticized the female civil servant who accompanied him, calling her "Jung Won-oh’s Kim Hyun-ji." Jung countered that the claims amounted to "spreading false information" and signaled that he would pursue legal action.
PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok held an on-site Supreme Council meeting at the Incheon Metropolitan City Chapter of the People Power Party that day and stated, "The true nature of candidate Jung’s taxpayer-funded sightseeing trip to Cancún is coming to light."
He said, "Even though there was a faster route by plane to the United States, they deliberately took a bus and routed the trip through Cancún," adding, "Spending three days and two nights just on a stopover is abnormal by any standard. Has there ever been a South Korean public official who spent three days and two nights in a layover city on an overseas business trip?"
Jang went on, "In candidate Jung’s trip report, there is only a single line that says ‘evaluation meeting.’" He continued, "But in the report of the accompanying official, the schedule is packed with sightseeing activities. This was an expensive trip that used nearly 30 million won of district office funds, yet the review documents for the trip did not even have the signatures of the screening committee members."
He added, "The staff member who accompanied him had previously been a perpetrator of workplace bullying." He continued, "Such a person was hired as a civil servant at the Seongdong District Office, taken on four overseas trips that had little relevance to her duties, and then rapidly promoted from Grade D to Grade A."
Jang said, "I am told she is still working in candidate Jung’s election camp. It is only natural that people suspect she is ‘Jung Won-oh’s Kim Hyun-ji.’" He stressed, "President Lee Jae-myung recognized his ‘Little Lee Jae-myung’ early on."
He continued, "The DPK says it will file a complaint with the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Ethics against our party’s Kim Jae-seop, who has been digging out the truth. If they are so confident, they should just file a criminal complaint." He added, "Trying to silence us will only make the suspicions grow."
On the same day, Kim Jae-seop of the PPP, who first raised the allegations, wrote on social networking service (SNS), "The DPK and candidate Jung are distorting the essence of the issue by framing it as ‘misogyny,’ yet they have not released even a single photo of the ‘official Cancún event attended by 11 people.’" He pointed out, "They are also refusing to provide records of accommodation and meal expenses incurred in Cancún. If they have nothing to hide, they should stop making long-winded arguments and simply disclose the photos and documents to the public."
Kim added, "I can understand if they are upset because even stating facts can sometimes be considered defamation." He continued, "But do not talk about legal action as a way to silence legitimate questions raised in the public interest. In fact, it is candidate Jung himself, who is suspected of falsifying Cancún-related documents, who should ultimately face legal judgment."
Earlier that morning, candidate Jung appeared on MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and addressed the allegations surrounding the Cancún trip, saying, "This is election interference through the dissemination of false information and, in fact, a criminal act." He expressed his intention to take legal action.
He also said, "A total of 11 people went on the Cancún trip together, and we have already explained everything, yet they talked about it in a way that made it sound like just two people went. Didn’t they later retract that as well?" He added, "We consider Representative Kim’s allegations to be a serious matter, and we have concluded that legal action is necessary."
He explained, "The relevant materials have all been made public, so I see the way they flatly claimed that only two people went as a deliberate, targeted attack." He added, "I am told that there was an error from the very first draft, and after that it was simply copied and pasted, so to speak."
Regarding the civil servant in question, he added, "She is highly capable and has produced many results, but she is now going through a very difficult time." He continued, "She is suffering because of what amounts to doxxing on SNS and the internet, and I feel truly sorry about that."
haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter