Joo Ho-young Mentions 'Unified Opposition Candidate'... Jeong Cheong-rae Says "No Family Members, So Looking for Runaways"

Joo Won-nae Representative, in Interview on the 4th: "Like-minded People Must Unite as a Single Candidate to Win"
"Both Ahn Cheol-soo and Geum Tae-seop Agree This Administration Is Doing Things Wrong"

Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, sarcastically criticized the opposition's 'opposition coalition' being mentioned as a candidate for the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections next April, saying they are "looking for a runaway."

On the 4th, Jeong shared a post on his Facebook, sharing remarks by Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party, regarding the by-elections, saying, "Because there are no capable people in our family (People Power Party)," making this comment.

Earlier, Floor Leader Joo appeared on MBC radio and said, "Both Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the People Party, and Geum Tae-seop, a former Democratic Party member, are in the position that this administration is doing things wrong," adding, "Isn't the most important thing in an election the structure? So people who share the same intention become a single candidate, and by combining forces, the possibility of victory is higher."

Regarding Ahn's negative stance on running for Seoul mayor, he said, "The moment there is talk that he intends to run for Seoul mayor, if it does not materialize, there will be political damage," and predicted, "If there is a high possibility that he can definitely become the single candidate, I think he will move."

Joo Ho-young, Floor Leader of the People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding how the People Power Party plans to bring in Ahn and former lawmaker Geum, he said, "The party constitution and rules stipulate a primary election, and it is difficult to avoid it," but added, "If the proportion of party members is lowered and the proportion of the general public or opinion polls is increased, it will be easier to make a decision."

These remarks by Floor Leader Joo are interpreted as suggesting the possibility that the People Power Party could unify opposition candidates including Ahn and former lawmaker Geum in the Seoul mayoral by-election.

Meanwhile, Ahn said in an interview with 'JoongAng Ilbo' on the same day that he would "play a role for the opposition's victory" in next year's Seoul mayoral by-election. However, regarding his own candidacy, he drew a line, saying, "There is no change in my intention not to run, and I have never considered a merger."

Meanwhile, former lawmaker Geum, who left the Democratic Party last month on the 21st, said in an interview with 'News1' regarding speculation about running for Seoul mayor, "I just left the party today, so it's too early to talk," and added, "I will look for ways to contribute to our society as a politician in the future."

However, regarding the possibility of joining the People Power Party, he drew a line, saying, "The People Power Party is a party that needs to reflect more than the Democratic Party."

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