Yong Hye-in Calls Former Advisor a 'Political Fraud' Over Seat Succession

Yong Hye-in, the leader of the Basic Income Party, has labeled Choi Hyuk-jin, a former advisor to the Moon Jae-in administration, a "political fraud" and is urging the Democratic Party to expel him. This criticism stems from Choi's failure to honor his commitment to return to the Basic Income Party after being elected as a proportional representative in the last general election. On June 4, Yong expressed her disappointment on Facebook, stating that the news of Choi's succession brought her more joy than her own election. She had believed he would keep his promise to return to the Basic Income Party and fulfill his obligations to the members and the public. However, Choi's response was merely that he intended to remain with the Democratic Party. Yong condemned this act as a violation of common sense, asserting that Choi's actions amounted to stealing a seat from the party. She emphasized that such behavior is unacceptable for a responsible politician and described it as a form of political theft. Yong announced that the Basic Income Party has withdrawn its recommendation for Choi as a proportional representative and called for his immediate expulsion from the Democratic Party. She insisted that the 17th candidate recommended by civil society should be given the opportunity to serve in the National Assembly. Yong expressed her hope that the Democratic Party would not become complicit in Choi's betrayal of the Basic Income Party and its members. In the 2024 general election, the opposition coalition, including the Democratic Party, the Progressive Party, and the Basic Income Party, formed a new alliance and nominated candidates under a semi-proportional representation system, resulting in 14 successful candidates. Choi was ranked 16th on the list. Following the election, the Democratic Party merged with the Democratic Alliance, leading to the dissolution of the alliance, and both Choi and another candidate, Son Sol, are currently affiliated with the Democratic Party. Son is expected to return to the Progressive Party, which would increase its seats to four, making it the fourth-largest party in the National Assembly after the Democratic Party, the People Power Party, and the Justice Party.