Oh says by-election cannot be held; Lee asks why he is drawing lines in advance

Rep. Lee Eon-ju. [Provided by Rep. Lee Eon-ju's office]
Rep. Lee Eon-ju. [Provided by Rep. Lee Eon-ju's office]

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Eon-ju fired back at Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon after he said a by-election could not be held unless a "serious legal violation" was found in the ballot shortage that marred the June 3 local elections, asking whether he was "a different person going in and coming out of the bathroom."

According to political circles, Lee posted on Facebook on Wednesday criticizing the National Election Commission over the ballot shortage, writing that Oh, now that he had won, was "drawing lines by saying a by-election cannot be held." She added: "This makes me feel once again that he was never a person of the right caliber."

Lee pressed further, asking why Oh was ruling out a by-election in advance. "A by-election is held when the legal requirements are met and not held when they are not — what is he so afraid of that he has to exclude it preemptively?" she wrote. "Citizens' constitutional right to political participation has been violated across the board and utterly disregarded. This is not the time to weigh political gains and losses."

Earlier, Oh told media outlets that while he understood the "political calculations" behind calls for a by-election, the law does not allow one unless a procedural flaw rises to the level of a serious violation capable of changing the outcome.

Meanwhile, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok has been calling for a nationwide by-election, but PPP Rep. Kim Jae-seop — who served as co-chair of Oh's campaign — criticized that demand as "irresponsible," saying it amounted to holding a new Seoul mayoral race with a different candidate in Oh's place.

"The moment Oh resigns to trigger a by-election, he loses his eligibility to run," Kim said. Under the Local Autonomy Act, a local government chief may serve no more than three consecutive terms. Oh's latest victory already marks his third consecutive term, making him ineligible to stand in any subsequent race.


jshan@heraldcorp.com