"Dear National Nomination Review Committee Members, Please Take Care"…Democratic Party's 'Biryedueseu101' Kicks Off

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Democratic Party of Korea has finalized 48 proportional representation candidates, marking the official start of the proportional representation candidate election campaign. In particular, the Democratic Party has decided to determine the order of proportional representation candidates in a manner similar to audition programs, anticipating fierce competition among the candidates.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Democratic Party on the 5th, the party’s Proportional Representation Recommendation Management Committee introduced ranked voting to decide the order of proportional representation candidates for the April 15 general election. The “National Nomination Review Panel,” composed of applicants from party members and the general public, votes for two male and two female candidates each, and the Central Committee aggregates these votes to determine the proportional order.

Due to this unique selection method, the term “Biryedu 101,” a portmanteau of the idol audition program “Produce 101” and “Biryedae” (proportional representation), has even emerged. Since the number of proportional seats the Democratic Party can secure has decreased due to amendments in the Public Official Election Act, candidates must secure a higher position to “debut,” similar to an audition program. Currently, the safe zone is around number 7.

The candidates began filming three-minute introduction videos on the day and will enter full-scale election campaigning until the 9th. To ensure fairness, the candidate introduction videos uploaded on the Democratic Party’s YouTube channel “SseumTV” prohibit the use of props. Instead, candidates are exercising autonomy through personal SNS platforms.

As face-to-face campaigning became impossible due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), candidates who had been active in civic groups or political parties started making calls to their former organizations to “solidify their voter base.” Candidate Lee Sohyun, known as “Taeho’s Mom,” urged participation in the National Nomination Review Panel by saying, “My friends, my mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, aunts, neighbors, and even distant relatives?everyone, please join.”

Considerations about slogans continued as well. Lee Sujin, a Supreme Council member running as a labor sector proportional representation candidate, adopted the phrase “I will defeat Sim Sangjung.” In a phone interview with Asia Economy, Lee explained, “This catchphrase was created with the intention of making the Democratic Party represent workers as strongly as Sim Sangjung, the leader of the Justice Party.” As the chairperson of the Medical Industry Labor Union Federation, Lee is raising awareness through a blood donation campaign to address the blood supply shortage caused by COVID-19.

The National Nomination Review Panel voting will take place over two days, on the 10th and 11th. Subsequently, the Central Committee will decide the proportional representation order on the 14th.

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