Jung accused of ignoring wishes of Gwangju and South Jeolla residents

South Jeolla Province Governor Kim Yeong-rok speaks at a briefing room of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council on April 29 regarding the primary election for the integrated special city mayor of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province. [Yonhap]
South Jeolla Province Governor Kim Yeong-rok speaks at a briefing room of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council on April 29 regarding the primary election for the integrated special city mayor of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province. [Yonhap]

South Jeolla Province Governor Kim Yeong-rok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, vowed Wednesday to dedicate everything he had to removing party leader Jung Chung-rae from his post.

"I have been waiting for this moment," Kim wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday afternoon, shortly after polls closed for the June 3 local elections, pledging to work toward ousting Jung "from this very moment."

Kim said the Honam region had been "deeply wounded" in the election and that its people had been "thoroughly ignored by an arrogant party leader." He said Jung had dismissed and mocked the wishes of residents in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, and demanded that Jung "stop exploiting Honam and face the consequences."

"I will no longer stand by," Kim added, calling for collective action to replace the Democratic Party leadership so that the voices of Honam — the party's heartland — could be properly heard.

Kim's remarks appear to stem from grievances that built up during the intraparty primary for the integrated special city mayor of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, held ahead of the local elections. The two-term governor lost in the runoff to candidate Min Hyeong-bae. Kim had alleged the primary was unfair, citing 2,308 dropped calls during the automated response system voting on the first day of the runoff — all in South Jeolla Province.


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