Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party, a Busan mayoral hopeful, on Thursday requested an investigation into a potential Democratic Party of Korea candidate, accusing him of violating the Political Funds Act in a recent gathering of supporters.
His request was filed with the election authority in Busan, according to Joo's office.
Joo claimed that cash was exchanged during a "book launch" event of Democratic Party lawmaker Rep. Chun Jae-soo held in early March. In South Korea, politicians typically use book launch events as de facto supporter rallies.
Some of Chun's supporters donated cash to Chun's office valued at up to 15 times the price of Chun's latest book, according to Joo. He alleged it was done to skirt South Korea's political donation regulations.
Joo's action came after the election authorities found such cash exchanges to be far from a violation of the Political Funds Act.
Joo, a one-term lawmaker from Haeundae-A constituency, is one of the two who registered for the People Power Party candidacy for the Busan mayoral seat, along with the incumbent mayor Park Heong-joon.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
