The ruling People Power Party (PPP) canceled the nomination of Rep. Chung Woo-taik for next month’s general elections after bribery allegations surfaced against him.

Last month, a news report revealed CCTV footage of Chung receiving what appeared to be a white envelope of cash from an unidentified man and putting it inside his pocket at a cafe in the city of Chungju, 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Chung, also a deputy National Assembly speaker, claimed he returned the envelope back outside of the surveillance camera’s field of view. But the man, who was later found to be the cafe’s owner, argued the envelope was never returned.

“We have come to the conclusion that the scandalous circumstances surrounding Chung do not meet the moral standards and the eye level of the people the PPP has emphasized throughout,” the party’s nomination committee said in a release.

In a briefing to reporters, Jung Young-hwan, the PPP’s nomination committee chief, did not confirm whether Chung actually received money or not,
only saying it is a matter to be uncovered through an investigation.

Chung expressed his frustration.

“I am taken aback. I had not received any prior contact on the matter,” he said in a call with Yonhap News Agency. “I’ve just submitted materials for explanation this morning; shouldn’t they call me in and give me a chance to explain myself?”

Following the cancellation, the nomination committee decided to recommend Seo Soung-woo, a former secretary to President Yoon Suk Yeol for political affairs, to replace Chung as a candidate for the Sangdang district in Chungju.

Source: Yonhap News Agency