PPP lawmaker criticizes Democratic Party chief's '99.99%' Seoul by-election remark

People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun on Sunday criticized Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok for saying a Seoul mayoral by-election would be held next year, calling the remarks pressure on the court and urging the ruling party to focus on governance and people's livelihoods first.

In a Facebook post, Yoon said Kim had put the odds of a Seoul mayoral by-election next year at "99.99 percent" and that a notebook listing names of potential candidates under the heading "Seoul mayoral candidates" had been spotted at a National Assembly plenary session. "It is not in keeping with public expectations for the ruling party — which should be tending to governance and people's livelihoods — to be hovering around election politics before a court verdict has even been handed down," Yoon said.

He added that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's trial was still ongoing and that the appeals court had yet to issue its ruling. "Should the Democratic Party already be treating a by-election as a foregone conclusion and sizing up the next candidate?" he said.

Yoon said it was "inappropriate" for the ruling party's leader to flatly declare a "99.99 percent" chance of a Seoul mayoral by-election when the sitting mayor's position hinged on the trial's outcome, as such a statement could place political pressure on the court. "Is the Democratic Party so idle that it can start mapping out a Seoul mayoral election before a verdict has even come down?" he said.

Yoon also said public anxiety was deepening over controversies surrounding candidates for the second-term cabinet reshuffle under the Lee Jae Myung administration. "The ruling party should first shoulder the weight of governance together and offer solutions for people's livelihoods," he said.

"Instead of speculating on Mayor Oh's political fate and picking the next Seoul mayoral candidate, the Democratic Party should look after the struggling public and attend to governance — that is the ruling party's duty," Yoon said. He urged the party to stop looking ahead to what is not yet ready and attend to its immediate responsibilities, invoking a Korean proverb about seeking roasted-grain water at the well before the rice has even been cooked.

Kim had earlier appeared on "Democratic Party TV" and said he believed there was a "99.99 percent" chance of a Seoul mayoral election next year.

His notebook, exposed at a National Assembly plenary session, also showed his initials "MJ" alongside a list of potential ruling-party candidates for the next Seoul mayoral race, including presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, former Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and former Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae.

Oh, a People Power Party member, was found guilty in his first trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and is awaiting his appeals court hearing.