'After Seoul, PK too' Mid-term lawmakers' consecutive non-candidacy... Accelerating TK reshuffle

Jeong Gap-yoon Withdraws from General Election... Yu Gi-jun Also Steps Down from Constituency
One Withdrawal So Far in TK... Grounds for Renewal Accumulate
Opposition in TK: "No Replacement Without Rational Reason"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The declarations of non-candidacy for the general election by incumbent members of the Liberty Korea Party have resumed. Over the weekend, lawmakers Kim Seong-tae and Park In-sook announced their intention not to run, and on the 17th, lawmakers Jeong Gap-yoon and Yoo Ki-joon joined the ranks. Notably, these lawmakers are the most senior in the Yeongnam region following lawmaker Kim Moo-sung, which is seen as strengthening the call for a shake-up in Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK).

On the morning of the same day, Lawmaker Jeong declared his non-candidacy for the April 15 general election at the National Assembly Press Center. He is a senior lawmaker who has served four consecutive terms in Ulsan Jung-gu. Jeong cited the reason for not running as "I will let go of my heart because this is a crucial election to correct a failing country."

Lawmaker Yoo, who served four terms in Busan Seo-gu and Dong-gu, also declared his non-candidacy for his constituency on the same day. However, he was reserved about his future plans. He said, "(Running in Seoul or a difficult district) has never been considered, nor has the party requested it," and regarding a possible party switch to the Future Korea Party, he left room for possibility by saying, "I haven't thought about it yet, but politics is very volatile." Because of this, speculation arises about running in another district or moving to the Future Korea Party.

Since the 19th, the declarations of non-candidacy by incumbent lawmakers within the party, which had stopped, are reigniting as integration efforts conclude. On the 15th, Lawmaker Kim declared non-candidacy, followed by Lawmaker Park on the 16th. This brings the total number of non-candidate lawmakers within the party to 16. Including Lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, who is to be integrated on this day, there are 17 in the conservative opposition camp alone.

With Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn's candidacy in Jongno and Lawmaker Yoo's non-candidacy, a chain reaction of non-candidacy has started again, intensifying pressure for a shake-up in TK. Previously, Kim Hyung-o, the nomination committee chairman, had mentioned a 'more than 50% shake-up' targeting TK lawmakers, but except for Lawmaker Jeong Jong-seop, no other lawmakers had declared non-candidacy. This contrasts with Busan and Gyeongnam (PK), where nearly half of the incumbent lawmakers have declared non-candidacy.

In particular, Lawmaker Jeong's non-candidacy and Lawmaker Yoo's relinquishing of his constituency have added legitimacy to the TK shake-up. Yoo also supported this by saying, "What the party wants is generational change and opposition unity, and to proceed with this, I thought I had to open the way."

However, among TK lawmakers, resistance to the shake-up remains stronger than consensus. On the same day, Lawmaker Joo Ho-young appeared on a radio show and said, "The local public opinion and sentiment are somewhat different," adding, "If replacements are made without reasonable grounds, there will be considerable public resistance."

The turning point is expected to be the interviews for TK nomination applicants on the 19th. Depending on how the interviews are conducted, a shake-up trend such as cutoffs (exclusion from nomination) may be detected. Attention is also focused on the possibility of non-candidacy. Considering that Lawmakers Kim and Park declared non-candidacy after interviews in the Seoul area, the atmosphere during the interviews may also influence decisions to withdraw from candidacy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.