Police refer Pyeongtaek Mayor Choi Won-yong and others without detention over alleged attempt to buy off a preliminary candidate

[Financial News] Pyeongtaek Mayor Choi Won-yong was referred to the Public Prosecution Office on suspicion of buying off a rival candidate by promising to offer them a position during the party primary in April.
The Pyeongtaek Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said on the 30th that it had referred Mayor Choi, former Pyeongtaek mayoral preliminary candidate Seo Hyun-ok, and two officials from the two campaigns involved in the alleged offense to prosecutors without detention on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act (bribery and inducement of interest).
Choi is suspected of offering a specific key post to Seo’s camp and proposing that Seo’s camp join his campaign during the Democratic Party of Korea’s primary to select its Pyeongtaek mayoral candidate in April, after Seo had been eliminated in the main primary. Choi reportedly made the remarks during a phone call with an official from Seo’s campaign.
Seo later declared support for Choi, who had advanced to the runoff, and joined Choi’s campaign, taking on the role of overall chair of the campaign committee.
Earlier, the Pyeongtaek City Election Commission, having learned of the circumstances, filed a complaint against Mayor Choi and others in July. Police received the complaint, investigated the case for about three months, and identified the alleged offenses.
The current Public Official Election Act stipulates that anyone who promises money or a position to a candidate in a party primary or others, with the aim of getting a candidate selected or preventing a candidate from being selected, is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter