DP moves to replace candidate who was defense lawyer for child sex abuser...

Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae takes part in a supreme council meeting held in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on May 8. [YONHAP]

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) began procedures to replace its candidate for Seoul’s Gangbuk District head by-election, Lee Seung-hoon, following public backlash over the candidate's past experience as a defense lawyer for child sex abusers and prostitution businesses.

The party leadership held a closed-door Supreme Council meeting on Thursday and approved a proposal to designate the Gangbuk District head race as a “strategic election district,” thereby opening a method for the party to select a new candidate through a nomination committee.

The decision reflects the party’s judgment that Lee’s past legal career made him unsuitable as a candidate for a major political party, despite winning first place in the primary.

Lee has faced strong criticism from voters and both inside and outside the party after it became known that he had defended perpetrators in child sex crime cases and prostitution business-related cases during his time as a lawyer. Lee has also been undergoing a central party review process over allegations that he distributed cash to local voters during the primary campaign.

Although the party leadership did not immediately revoke Lee’s candidacy, redesignating Gangbuk District as a strategic election district opened the way for the party’s nomination committee to select a new candidate.

Meanwhile, Yu Chan-jong, the DP candidate for Seoul’s Jongno District head race, retained his candidacy despite allegations that he handed cash to residents during the primary. Yu secured his place in the main election after the party committee dismissed a request for reconsideration related to the allegations.

Separately, the party’s Supreme Council did not reach a conclusion Thursday regarding Son Hoon-mo, the DP candidate for mayor of Suncheon, South Jeolla, who is under investigation over allegations of accepting illegal political funds, and decided to continue discussions at a later date.

“Designating Gangbuk District as a strategic election district reflects the leadership’s view that Lee Seung-hoon’s nomination was inappropriate,” a Democratic Party official said. “The strategic committee is expected to decide soon whether to formally replace the candidate.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.