© 정병두 국민의힘 경주시장 예비후보

【브레이크뉴스 경주】박영재 기자=정병두 국민의힘 경주시장 예비후보는 지난 16일 경주선거관리위원회의 주낙영 예비후보 공직선거법 위반 고발 사건과 관련해 성명을 발표하고, “헌법기관의 고발을 부정하고 사실을 왜곡하는 행위는 경주시민을 기만하는 것”이라고 주장했다.

정 후보는 이번 입장 발표가 “정쟁을 위한 것이 아니라 법과 상식을 바로 세우기 위한 것”이라며, 선관위의 고발을 경시하거나 왜곡하는 태도를 문제 삼았다.

그는 “경주선거관리위원회는 헌법과 법률에 의해 설치된 독립 기관으로, 그 고발은 민주주의와 선거 질서를 수호하기 위한 공적 조치”라며 “그럼에도 해당 예비후보 측이 사과나 반성 없이 해석을 왜곡하고 책임을 회피하고 있다”고 주장했다.

또한 주낙영 예비후보 측이 해명한 ‘사전 신고 완료’, ‘실시간 소통’, ‘공문상 애매성’ 등의 주장에 대해 “사실과 다르다”고 반박했다. 정 후보 측은 “선관위에 신고된 내용은 문자 발송 관련이며, 실제 문제 된 행위는 ARS 전화 자동 발송으로 서로 다른 사안”이라고 밝혔다.

이어 “선관위 녹취록에도 ARS 관련 협의 내용은 없으며, 공문 역시 해당 방식에 대한 허가나 컨설팅을 포함하지 않는다”고 덧붙였다.

정 후보는 해당 행위가 공직선거법상 제한되는 선거운동 방식에 해당할 수 있다고 주장하며 “불특정 다수에게 3일간 대량으로 음성 메시지를 발송한 것은 선거 결과에 영향을 줄 수 있는 중대한 사안”이라고 강조했다.

또한 “법 위반 여부를 넘어 선거의 공정성과 결과에 미치는 영향까지 고려해야 할 사안”이라며 “경주시민의 소중한 투표가 왜곡되어서는 안 된다”고 말했다.

정 후보는 성명을 마무리하며 “천년 고도 경주의 품격에 걸맞은 책임 정치와 법치가 필요하다”며 “어떠한 압력에도 진실을 외면하지 않겠다”고 밝혔다. 그는 시민들에게 “진실의 편에 함께해 달라”고 당부했다.

<구글 번역으로 번역한 영문 기사의 전문 입니다. 번역에 오류가 있을 수 있음을 밝힙니다.>

PPP Preliminary Candidate Jeong Byeong-du Claims “Distortion of Election Commission Referral Is a Deception of Citizens”

Jeong Byeong-du, a preliminary candidate for mayor of Gyeongju from the People Power Party, issued a statement on April 16 regarding the Gyeongju National Election Commission’s referral of preliminary candidate Joo Nak-young for alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act, claiming that “denying the charges of a constitutional institution and distorting the facts is a deception of Gyeongju citizens.”

Jeong stated that his position was “not intended for political confrontation but to restore law and common sense,” and criticized what he described as attempts to downplay or distort the Election Commission’s referral.

He emphasized that the Gyeongju National Election Commission is an independent constitutional institution established under the Constitution and the law, and that its referral is an official act to protect democratic order and election integrity. He further argued that the opposing side was “evading responsibility without apology or reflection while distorting interpretations.”

Regarding explanations provided by Joo Nak-young’s side—such as “prior reporting completed,” “real-time communication,” and “ambiguous official documents”—Jeong’s camp argued that these claims “do not reflect the facts.”

His side stated that the reported filing to the Election Commission concerned text messaging, while the alleged violation involved a different method: mass automated ARS voice calls. They added that “there was no discussion or response regarding ARS in the Election Commission’s recorded communications,” and that “the official documents did not include any approval or guidance regarding ARS distribution.”

Jeong further argued that if the reported content and the actual implemented actions differ, prior reporting cannot serve as justification or exemption from legal responsibility.

He also claimed that the case could constitute a serious violation of the Public Official Election Act, noting that “the mass distribution of recorded voice messages supporting a candidate to an unspecified number of people over three days constitutes a strong form of election campaigning that is strictly regulated.”

Citing past Supreme Court precedents, he said similar illegal election campaigning had resulted in fines of up to 1 million KRW and could potentially lead to annulment of election results and by-elections.

He added that “this is no longer a matter of whether it is illegal or not,” but rather a serious issue requiring consideration of “the duration, scale, and impact of the violation, and whether it could affect the validity of the election and necessitate a by-election.”

Jeong stressed that “the precious votes of Gyeongju citizens must never be tainted by illegal election activities.”

In closing, he said that Gyeongju, a city with a thousand-year history, requires “ethics, rule of law, and responsible politics worthy of its heritage.” He added that he would not ignore the truth under any pressure and urged citizens to stand on the side of truth, stating that “the people are the true guardians of Gyeongju’s dignity.”