Deubureo Citizen Party Faces Proportional Nomination Discord... Only 2 Out of 35 Are from Minor Parties

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The proportional representation alliance party led by the Democratic Party of Korea, 'The Together Citizens' Party (Citizens' Party),' is facing internal discord after deciding not to nominate proportional representation candidates from two minor parties.

On the 23rd, the Citizens' Party announced the list and order of 35 proportional representation candidates. As initially declared by the Democratic Party, candidates from minor parties and citizen-recommended candidates filled positions 1 through 10 on the proportional list, while almost all candidates after number 10 were from the Democratic Party. Only two candidates from minor parties were included: Yong Hye-in, leader of the Basic Income Party (number 5), and Cho Jung-hoon, leader of the Transition Korea Party (number 6). Candidates from the Gaja Peace and Human Rights Party and the Gaja Environment Party were excluded from the proportional representation list.

The Gaja Peace and Human Rights Party, which failed to produce proportional candidates, declared their withdrawal from the alliance the day before, criticizing, "They fully exploited and then kicked out elderly powerless people who gathered 1,000 won, 5,000 won, and 10,000 won each to form the party. The current behavior of the Democratic Party is worse than Abe's in Japan."

On the 24th, Choi Bae-geun, co-representative of the Citizens' Party, appeared on a radio show and explained the proportional order arrangement, saying, "We provided an equal opportunity to recommend up to three candidates to minor parties," and added, "All candidates sent by them (Gaja Peace and Human Rights Party and Gaja Environment Party) were disqualified after verification, so even if we wanted to include more, we could not." He also mentioned that all parties signed an agreement acknowledging that if candidates failed verification, no seats would be guaranteed.

Despite Choi's explanation, criticism has arisen that the original intention to help minor parties enter the National Assembly has been undermined. Particularly, Oh Tae-yang, leader of the Future Party, which was excluded from the proportional alliance, appeared on MBC Radio that morning and criticized the Together Citizens' Party as "just a satellite party of the Democratic Party."

Regarding Future Party's exclusion from the proportional alliance, he said, "It is closer to fraud than betrayal," and expressed disillusionment with "the deceptive politics of some Democratic Party leadership." Former Blue House spokesperson Ko Min-jung, who declared her candidacy for Gwangjin District through strategic nomination the day before, said, "I don't know what choice voters will make, but the ruling party needs a whip."

Some speculate that the Citizens' Party's proportional order arrangement is a strategic move to increase the Democratic Party's seats after the general election. Most citizen-recommended candidates in electable positions are expected to join the Democratic Party after the election.

There are eight citizen society figures in electable positions, and they must decide their political path after the election. It is expected that they will join the ruling party, which can provide substantial support for their legislative activities.

In this case, only the two former leaders of minor parties, Yong Hye-in and Cho Jung-hoon, who are expected to return to their original parties, will be expelled, and a merger with the Democratic Party is likely. This would be no different from the method the Democratic Party has criticized regarding the Future United Party's proportional representation seat acquisition.

Meanwhile, looking at the candidates within the top 10 of the Citizens' Party, Shin Hyun-young, a doctor who served as the head of the epidemiological investigation team at Myongji Hospital and has been active on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, former director of public relations and spokesperson of the Korean Medical Association, was placed first. Number 2 was Kim Kyung-man, head of the Economic Policy Headquarters of the Korea Federation of SMEs. Number 3 was Kwon In-sook, president of the Korean Women's Development Institute, and number 4 was Lee Dong-joo, vice president of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business Owners.

Additionally, the following were placed from numbers 5 to 10: Yong Hye-in, former leader of the Basic Income Party; Cho Jung-hoon, former co-leader of Transition Korea; Yoon Mee-hyang, chairperson of the Justice Memory Foundation for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue; Jung Pil-mo, former vice president of KBS; Yang I-won-young, secretary general of the Energy Transition Forum; and Yoo Jeong-ju, president of the Korea Animation Industry Association.

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