Hwang Kyo-ahn Overturns Public Office Committee Decision Again... Will 4 'Nomination Withdrawals' Remain as No Nominations?

United Future Party Holds Emergency Dawn Supreme Council Meeting... Decides to Withdraw Nominations in 4 Districts
Nomination Committee Protests 'Abuse of Authority'... Final Struggles in Nomination Conflict

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the United Future Party, is attending a closed 최고위원회의 at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] On the 25th, one day before the registration of candidates for the April 15 general election, the United Future Party is experiencing last-minute turmoil in its nomination process. Tensions are escalating as the party leadership overturns the decisions made by the Nomination Management Committee. The committee is strongly opposing this, even considering the possibility of no nomination in the affected districts.

On the same day, Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn held a closed-door Supreme Council meeting and resolved to invalidate nominations in four constituencies: Uiwang-Gwacheon and Hwaseong-si in Gyeonggi Province, Geumjeong-gu in Busan, and Gyeongju-si in North Gyeongsang Province. Initially, Hwang planned to discuss this at the Supreme Council meeting the previous night, but it was canceled due to a lack of quorum, prompting an emergency meeting early that morning.

These constituencies were those where the Supreme Council had postponed the nomination decisions and requested a re-examination. Previously, the Nomination Committee had strategically nominated Lee Yoon-jung, former Gwangmyeong City Council member, for Uiwang-Gwacheon in Gyeonggi; Han Kyu-chan, former representative of Pyeongan Newspaper, for Hwaseong-si in Gyeonggi, as 'Future Makers.' In Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, Park Byung-hoon, former North Gyeongsang Provincial Assembly member, secured the nomination by winning the primary, and in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, originally a primary district, Kim Jong-cheon, director of Gyurim Nursing Hospital, was recommended unopposed after the opposing candidate withdrew from the primary.

The Nomination Committee conducted a re-examination as requested by the Supreme Council and decided to maintain the nominations for these districts. However, the Supreme Council's decision to invalidate the nominations ultimately nullified these candidates' nominations. Representative Hwang explained the reason for overturning the committee's decision by saying, "It was handled according to the party's constitution and regulations," adding, "The judgment was made from the perspective that nominations should be people-centered and winning nominations."

Regarding the reasons for invalidation, he avoided specifics, saying, "It is not appropriate to discuss each case in detail," but it is known that complaints against the candidates surged immediately after their nominations were confirmed. Criticisms arose concerning local ties, candidate qualifications, and morality, and in some cases, legal violations were confirmed, leading to the judgment that these candidates were inappropriate for the party.

The Nomination Committee is protesting. Acting Chair Lee Seok-yeon immediately refuted the Supreme Council's decision, stating it was unacceptable. He argued that the party leadership disrespected the committee's decisions and abused its authority. According to the party's constitution and regulations, invalidation is limited to cases involving significant defects such as election fraud or bribery. However, this decision is criticized for setting a precedent where the party leadership can invalidate any candidate they dislike at any time.

There were also differing opinions within the Supreme Council about whether it was appropriate to exercise such authority. Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok criticized during the meeting, saying, "(The leadership) should minimize the use of this regulation, but it seems they are using their authority more expansively than expected."

This is the third time the Supreme Council has withdrawn nominations, including Choi Hong, former CEO of Macquarie Investment Asset Management, in Gangnam-eul, Seoul, and Kim Won-sung, Supreme Council member, in Buk-Gangseo-eul, Busan. However, in the previous two cases, Choi's nomination was resolved with the Nomination Committee accepting the Supreme Council's decision, and in Kim's case, the committee itself requested the party to withdraw the nomination, marking a difference. The conflict between the Nomination Committee and the party leadership, which seemed to have settled with the resignation of former committee chair Kim Hyung-oh, is now experiencing turmoil until the final stages of the nomination process.

The Nomination Committee is currently deliberating whether to hold a meeting. While there is a possibility of selecting candidates again through re-examination, the option of not nominating any candidate at all remains open.

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