Democratic Party 1st Primary, 'Incumbent Shake-up' Breathes New Life... Factional Joy and Sorrow (Summary 2)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] In the first primary of the April 15 general election for the Democratic Party of Korea, seven incumbent lawmakers, including three-term veterans, were eliminated. This is seen as a breakthrough in the previously sluggish 'incumbent turnover' process. In Seoul Yeongdeungpo-eul, former lawmaker Kim Min-seok, known as 'Bino (anti-Roh Moo-hyun faction),' secured the nomination, while in Busan Saha-eul, Lee Sang-ho, a regional committee chairman from the 'Chinno (pro-Roh Moo-hyun faction),' also won the nomination, highlighting the factional split within the party.

The Democratic Party's Election Management Committee announced the results of the first primary in 29 districts on the night of the 26th.

The most watched primary was in Yeongdeungpo-eul, where former lawmaker Kim Min-seok defeated incumbent Shin Kyung-min to secure the nomination. The rivalry between these two was heated even before the primary began. Notably, when Shin posted on Facebook that he had received encouragement from Kwon Yang-sook, the late President Roh Moo-hyun's wife, Kim responded with a rebuttal post, escalating tensions.

Meanwhile, in Busan Saha-eul, Lee Sang-ho, a prominent 'Chinno' figure, won the nomination. Known as the former leader of No Sa Mo and by the pen name 'Mickey Rourke,' he played a significant role in President Roh's 2002 election victory by organizing initiatives like the 'Hope Piggy Bank' and 'Yellow Ribbon.' In the general election, he is likely to face Jo Kyung-tae of the United Future Party, who switched from the 'original Chinno' to the conservative party.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In Gyeonggi Anyang Dongan-gap, where six-term lawmaker Lee Seok-hyun, proportional representative Kwon Mi-hyeok, and three other candidates competed, Min Byung-duk, the lead attorney at Minbon Law Firm, overcame the dual 'incumbent premium' to win the nomination. This is considered the biggest upset of the primary.

Also, in Anyang Manan, former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor Kang Deuk-gu defeated five-term incumbent Lee Jong-gul to advance to the general election, and in Jeonbuk Iksan-gap, former National Assembly Secretary-General Kim Soo-heung defeated incumbent Lee Chun-seok to secure the nomination.

The power of district mayors who are not incumbents was also demonstrated. In Seoul Gangdong-eul, Lee Hae-sik, former mayor of Gangdong District and Democratic Party spokesperson, defeated incumbent Shim Jae-kwon to confirm the nomination, and in Seoul Seongbuk-gap, former Seongbuk District Mayor Kim Young-bae defeated three-term veteran Yoo Seung-hee. However, Yoo announced that he would file an objection to the party regarding the primary results.

Lee Haesik, Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea

In this first primary alone, seven out of 22 incumbent lawmakers were eliminated, accounting for 31%. While criticism has been raised that the 'incumbent turnover' has been sluggish compared to the United Future Party, the Democratic Party seems somewhat relieved by this outcome.

However, in 15 districts including Seoul Jungnang-gap (Seo Young-kyo), Eunpyeong-eul (Kang Byung-won), Seocho-eul (Park Kyung-mi), Gyeonggi Bucheon Wonmi-eul (Seol Hoon), Namyangju-eul (Kim Han-jung), Paju-gap (Yoon Hu-duk), Gwangju-gap (So Byung-hoon), Bundang-gap (Kim Byung-kwan), Ulsan Buk (Lee Sang-heon), Chungbuk Jecheon Danyang (Lee Hu-sam), Chungnam Nonsan-Gyeryong-Geumsan (Kim Jong-min), Dangjin (Uh Ki-gu), Jeonbuk Wanju-Jinan-Muju-Jangsu (Ahn Ho-young), Jeju Jeju-eul (Oh Young-hoon), and Daejeon Yuseong-eul (Lee Sang-min), incumbents secured nominations, indicating that the 'incumbent premium' remains effective.

Additionally, nominations were confirmed in districts where only non-incumbents competed, such as Busan Seo-Dong (Lee Jae-kang), Daegu Dalseong (Park Hyung-ryong), Dalseo-eul (Heo So), Gyeongnam Jinju-gap (Jung Young-hoon), Changwon Masanhappo (Park Nam-hyun), Geoje (Moon Sang-mo), and Ulsan Nam-eul (Park Sung-jin).

The primary was conducted through an automated response system (ARS) survey, with 50% rights party members and 50% general citizens, and candidate bonus and penalty points were applied.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the lineup of proportional representation candidates within the party is also emerging. Kim Hong-gul, the third son of the late President Kim Dae-jung and the standing representative chairman of the National Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, submitted his proportional representation candidacy to the Proportional Nomination Management Committee on the same day. Lee Soo-jin, a labor expert and party supreme council member, also applied as a proportional representation candidate.

Among recruited talents, former Army General Kim Byung-joo, 'Taeho's Mom' Lee So-hyun, and Won Ok-geum, president of the Vietnamese Korean Residents Association, are running in the proportional representation primary. Dr. Lee Kyung-soo, former deputy director of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is also challenging the proportional representation primary.

Professor Choi Hye-young of Gangdong University, recruited as the 'No. 1 talent,' is expected to be the first on the proportional representation list. However, on the same day, she was reported to the prosecution by conservative YouTubers over allegations of fraudulent receipt of basic living expenses and support for severely disabled single-person households.

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