On May 18, rival parties engaged in a heated exchange during a meeting of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee, focusing on allegations against Jeong Won-o, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, as well as issues related to audit standards and the GTX-A rebar omission incident.
The committee convened to discuss various allegations against Jeong, resulting in a contentious atmosphere. Members of the People Power Party displayed signs reading, "Jeong Won-o, who was arrested for assault 31 years ago, answer us!" This prompted Democratic Party members to respond, asserting, "This is spreading false information," and questioning, "How did the committee come to this?" After intervention from committee chair Kwon Chil-seung, the signs were removed, allowing the meeting to proceed.
People Power Party member Seo Beom-soo questioned Jeong's past, stating, "He was released after a detention review for a serious incident. Does the ruling document mention May 18?" In response, Democratic Party member Lee Hae-sik countered, "The ruling document states it was for political reasons."
Additionally, People Power Party member Woo Jae-jun asked acting police chief Yoo Jae-sung whether forcing a female employee at a bar to stay overnight and threatening her could be classified as attempted rape. When Yoo hesitated to respond due to the political implications, Woo asserted, "I do not view this as an assault case but rather as an attempted rape case," expressing regret over candidates exploiting the May 18 incident. Fellow party member Choi Soo-jin echoed this sentiment, calling it offensive to use the May 18 incident to cover personal issues.
The parties also clashed over the GTX-A rebar omission incident. Democratic Party member Chae Hyun-il stated, "The ultimate responsibility for safety in Seoul lies with the mayor," and noted that construction proceeded despite knowledge of the rebar omission. Lee Hae-sik described the incident as an attempt by Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate, to cover up the rebar omission, accusing him of evading responsibility. Oh has previously attributed the issue to the construction company, Hyundai Engineering.
In response, People Power Party member Park Soo-min argued that the matter had already been reported to relevant authorities and questioned whether all issues needed to be reported directly to the mayor.
Regarding the timing of the report on the GTX-A rebar omission, which occurred after Oh's resignation, there were differing views. Im Chun-geun, head of the Seoul City Urban Infrastructure Department, explained that a thorough review of site applicability was necessary. However, Democratic Party member Lee Kwang-hee criticized this, stating, "If that is the case, the deputy mayor who received the report should be here. Are you disregarding the National Assembly?"
People Power Party member Jo Eun-hee stated that documents related to the GTX-A project show that the city is required to submit monthly progress reports to the Korea Railroad Corporation, declaring, "This is a clear case of spreading false information, and we plan to report Jeong and others." Woo Jae-jun added, "If the report has already been made, how can it be considered a cover-up?"
The discussion also turned to the completion ceremony for the Audit Garden at Gwanghwamun Square, where the Democratic Party launched an offensive against Oh. Democratic Party secretary Yoon Geon-young criticized Oh for attending the ceremony on May 12, while he was in an acting capacity, claiming it was a clear violation of election law. He accused Oh of wasting hundreds of billions of taxpayer money and noted that the event was removed from YouTube after it became controversial. In response, Jo Eun-hee defended the event, stating, "The entire nation expresses gratitude to those who helped our country, and it seems the Democratic Party is envious of the Audit Garden," asserting that there is no violation of election law, as confirmed by the election commission's interpretation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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