A banner reading "Park Deok-heum, who assaulted a local lawmaker, must resign" — posted by a civic group calling itself the Okcheon Jikim-i Gunmin Yeonhaphoe, a local watchdog organization — hangs along National Route 4 in Okcheon-eup, North Chungcheong Province, on Wednesday. Park's office said the claims are groundless and that it will file a police complaint. [Newsis]
A banner reading "Park Deok-heum, who assaulted a local lawmaker, must resign" — posted by a civic group calling itself the Okcheon Jikim-i Gunmin Yeonhaphoe, a local watchdog organization — hangs along National Route 4 in Okcheon-eup, North Chungcheong Province, on Wednesday. Park's office said the claims are groundless and that it will file a police complaint. [Newsis]

Banners alleging that Rep. Park Deok-heum — the National Assembly's deputy speaker and a People Power Party lawmaker representing Okcheon-gun in North Chungcheong Province — assaulted a local council member have appeared across the county, stirring political controversy.

According to political sources, the banners — posted under the name of a local civic watchdog group — have been going up since last week along roadsides and in residential areas throughout Okcheon-gun, particularly along National Route 4, calling for Park's resignation.

Printed on a red background, the banners read: "Park Deok-heum, who assaulted a local lawmaker, must resign."

A card-news style image carrying the additional line "How can such a person protect anyone?" has also been circulating on social media, according to sources.

Park serves as deputy speaker of the National Assembly and chairs the People Power Party chapter for four southern counties of North Chungcheong Province — Boeun, Okcheon, Yeongdong and Goesan.

A spokesperson for Park's office denied the allegations, calling them "completely groundless" and describing the banners as a serious defamation matter involving exaggeration and distortion of events that never occurred. The office said it would take strong legal action, including filing a police complaint or a criminal charge.


jshan@heraldcorp.com