People Power Party: "Busan and Seoul Mayoral Candidates Chosen by Citizens"... Reducing Party Member Vote Weight

The First Meeting of the People Power Party's Primary Preparation Committee

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The People Power Party has decided to leave the selection of candidates for the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections in April next year to the choice of the citizens. On the 15th, Kim Sang-hoon, Chair of the People Power Party’s By-election Primary Preparation Committee, said, "We need to remove as many barriers as possible for newcomers or talent recruitment," adding, "The proportion of party member votes will be significantly reduced, and the candidate will be someone chosen entirely by the citizens."

After concluding the first meeting of the Primary Preparation Committee held at the National Assembly on the morning of the same day, Chair Kim told reporters about the direction of the 'primary rules.' He said, "It is necessary to directly listen to public opinion, even in the form of a public hearing, to understand what kind of mayor the citizens of Busan and Seoul want," and added, "We need candidates who can be selected with the direct reflection of the will of Busan and Seoul citizens."

Regarding the possibility of revising the party’s constitution and regulations, he explained, "Once the primary rules are established, review will be necessary," but added, "However, if the rules are recognized by the Nomination Management Committee, there may be no need to revise them." Chair Kim plans to finalize the primary rules by mid-next month but mentioned, "It could be delayed a bit more."

Through the meeting, the Primary Preparation Committee established the 'Five Major Principles of the Primary': ▲ Complete exclusion of those involved in sexual crimes from public office candidacy ▲ Confirmation of the duties of public officials in line with the spirit of the times ▲ Maximizing dynamism and appeal through expanded citizen participation ▲ Strict and fair primary without bias or partiality ▲ Citizen-tailored policy primary.

Meanwhile, as candidates for the Seoul and Busan mayoral races have gradually surfaced since the launch of the Primary Preparation Committee, Kim Jong-in, Chair of the People Power Party’s Emergency Response Committee, strongly denied reports that he directly approached former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon to run for Seoul mayor.

After the Emergency Response Committee meeting on the morning of the same day, Chair Kim told reporters, "There is no need to ask Kim Dong-yeon such a thing, and I have never met or contacted him," drawing a clear line. Regarding the possibility of recruitment, he said, "It depends on whether he wants to; it’s not about whether we accept or not," adding, "If he has not expressed any intention, we cannot talk about recruitment or anything like that."

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