BUSAN — The People Power Party's Busan chapter has filed a complaint against Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo with police and election authorities, accusing him of spreading false information in violation of the Public Official Election Act.
Rep. Seo Ji-young of the People Power Party, who represents Busan's Dongnae district, said at a National Assembly press conference on the 7th that the party's Busan chapter had filed the complaint over remarks Jeon made during the Busan mayoral election campaign.
The party alleges that Jeon falsely claimed he had increased the budget for rebuilding Sajik Baseball Stadium while serving as oceans and fisheries minister, and that he had conducted reviews and held talks with the Busan Port Authority on building a domed ballpark over the sea.
Seo cited questioning at the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, along with written responses obtained from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Busan Port Authority. She said the culture ministry could not confirm whether any request for a budget increase had been made at the time, while the oceans ministry and the port authority responded that no reviews, reports, consultations or related documents existed regarding a domed ballpark over the sea.
She also disputed Jeon's explanation that his remarks had referred to recently passed amendments to the Port Authority Act and the Port Redevelopment Act, arguing that those amendments have no direct connection to building a domed ballpark over the sea.
"If remarks repeated during an election campaign influenced voters' judgment, whether they violated the Public Official Election Act must be examined rigorously," Seo said. "Mayor Jeon should explain, with records and documents, who he conducted what reviews and consultations with while serving as oceans and fisheries minister."
