Conservative media slams ruling party leader's by-election call as impossible, distorting public sentiment

South Korean conservative media outlets have strongly criticized the ruling People Power Party leader's push for a nationwide by-election following recent election results. The Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, and Dong-A Ilbo all published editorials and columns on March 17, condemning the leader's stance as legally unfounded and a misrepresentation of public opinion.

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Given the ballot shortage in Songpa, which was the issue in the Seoul mayoral election, it is difficult to overturn the 60,000 votes Mayor Oh won. Even the Democratic Party, which lost, is not claiming a by-election, but the People Power Party leadership's claim for a nationwide by-election is against the law and common sense.

The Chosun Ilbo's editorial, titled "Nationwide By-Election for Party Leadership's Survival Distorts Public Sentiment," argued that overturning the election results, even considering ballot shortages, is impossible given the margin of victory. The paper pointed out that the opposition Democratic Party, which lost, is not even demanding a by-election, making the ruling party's demand contrary to law and common sense. The newspaper suggested the leader knows a by-election is legally and practically unfeasible.

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Leader Jang also says he cannot ignore the youth gathered in Jamsil. However, many of the young people gathered in Jamsil distance themselves from election fraud conspiracy theories and demand the protection of voting rights and reform of the election commission.

Instead of pursuing the by-election, the Chosun Ilbo urged the party to distinguish between genuine concerns for voting rights and election commission reform, and "election fraud conspiracy theories." It called for focusing on investigations by prosecutors, parliamentary inquiries, and special prosecutors to uncover the truth. The paper concluded that the unrealistic by-election claim is merely a distortion of public sentiment aimed at diverting attention.

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The claim for a by-election, which is not even possible, is merely a distortion of public sentiment to cause trouble and divert attention.

The Dong-A Ilbo's column, comparing the leader to former politician Hwang Kyo-ahn, stated that demanding nationwide elections negates the election results themselves. The column noted that Hwang Kyo-ahn began claiming election fraud after the 2020 general election defeat, and that the current leader, along with a few close aides, are the only ones openly promoting such theories within the party. The article suggested the leader is heading down the same path as Hwang, who was ostracized for his conspiracy theories, but with the added criticism that the current leader is pursuing these claims while clinging to his leadership position.

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If the infringement of voting rights and the poor management of elections were enough to change the outcome, a by-election would be necessary. However, the Public Official Election Act requires careful consideration in that process.