The ruling party People Power Party’s election management committee formed to handle the ongoing race to select its next leader said Friday it issued a warning to two of its contenders, requesting them to halt their “personal attacks” against each other. The committee revealed that it had sent warning letters to former Justice Minister and party interim leader Han Dong-hoon and former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong – two of four candidates for the chairman position – for breaching the party charter promoting “fair competition,” late Thursday. The warning addressed the intense mudslinging and slander between the two candidates which started last week and continued to Thursday's televised debate among all candidates.
During the heated debate, Won mentioned several allegations against Han, including that the former interim leader sought to illegally manipulate public opinion against him online through a private team when he was justice minister from mid-2022 to December last year. Then he asked Han how he would take responsibility if the allegations were true. Han replied that he would retire from politics if such accusations were confirmed.
A committee official said the warning was issued based on the “judgment that the situation became serious.” The official said the committee plans to issue additional warnings and even more serious sanctions if the “tensions continue to grow.” In a regional event Friday hosted by journalists in Daegu, Han criticized the com.