Where's Huh Kyung-young? The eccentric, serial presidential candidate who once vowed to levitate lands in jail
Huh Kyung-young, a wacky politician who ran for South Korean presidency three times with outlandish pledges like giving 100 million won ($71,467) to every citizen, is back in the news, not as a candidate running for the June 3 election but as a criminal suspect.
The 77-year-old, who holds the official title of honorary leader of the National Revolutionary Party, has been behind bars since Saturday after the Uijeongbu District Court issued a warrant for his detention on charges of fraud, violations of the Political Funds Act and coerced sexual misconduct.
Having run in the 15th, 17th and 20th presidential elections and losing each time, he is widely known for making bizarre campaign promises, such as building a runway for UFOs, raising Koreans' IQ to 430 and offering tax breaks for bald people.
Though widely dismissed as unrealistic and absurd, his proposals created enough buzz to be parodied on many entertainment shows.
Huh is accused of using his religious facility, known as 'Haneulgung,' to sell goods at exorbitant prices. At Haneulgung, a group of his followers revere him as a spiritual leader and hold lectures and prayer sessions to promote his beliefs.
Huh is also accused of sexual misconduct for touching his female followers inappropriately during what he described as spiritual counseling sessions.
During a yearlong investigation, police questioned him more than 30 times and searched his facility, but he continued to refuse to cooperate and filed complaints against investigators. This led the court to grant an arrest warrant over concerns that he might destroy evidence.
Can Huh run again?
His recent arrest has raised questions among some online users about whether he could still run for the June 3 presidential election.
'No Huh Kyung-young this election? That feels unusual," a user wrote on X.
'Can someone in custody not run for office? I was actually looking forward to his crazy pledges," read another post.
The answer is no.
At this point, no one can throw their hat into the ring — the official candidacy registration period closed on May 11.
As for the ongoing investigation into Huh, that does not, in itself, disqualify him from running for public office. Though this is ultimately irrelevant, as he is already barred due to a conviction last year.
Article 18 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that candidates are disqualified only after a conviction resulting in a prison sentence or a heavier penalty is finalized.
Huh, in April 2024, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, for spreading false information. As a result, he is barred from running in elections until April 2034.
Among the groundless claims he made were that he was the adopted son of the late Lee Byung-chull, founder of the tech giant Samsung, and that he had served as a policy advisor to former President Park Chung-hee.
This was not the first time Huh was prohibited from running for office for spreading false information.
During the 2007 presidential election, he promised to marry former President Park Geun-hye if elected. At that time, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison and barred from candidacy for a decade. He returned to politics in 2020.
Meanwhile, Huh, currently held at the Uijeongbu Police Station, was taken to a hospital early Monday morning after reporting sudden abdominal pain. However, he was returned to the detention center after doctors found no health issues, according to police.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
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