People Power Party Introduces '100% Public Opinion Poll Main Primary'... Will Ahn Cheol-soo and Geum Tae-seop Respond?

Shift from 20% Party Member Vote and 80% Opinion Poll Plan
Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman, "External Participants Must Join Party First"
Ahn Cheol-soo and Geum Tae-seop Skeptical About Joining People Power Party
Ahn: "People Power Alone Can't Defeat Democratic Party"
Geum: "All Candidates Must Unite to Check Power"

People Power Party's Jeong Jin-seok, Chair of the Nomination Management Committee (center), is attending the 2nd Nomination Management Committee meeting for the April 7 by-elections held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 5th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The People Power Party has finalized a plan to hold the main primary election for the upcoming April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election entirely through public opinion polls. This move is interpreted as an effort to promote the unification of opposition candidates by allowing external figures to compete on equal footing with internal candidates in the primary.

However, obstacles still seem to remain for the People Power Party-led candidate unification. Opposition candidates such as Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, and Geum Tae-seop, former member of the Democratic Party of Korea, have expressed negative views about participating in the primary after joining the People Power Party.

Jung Jin-seok, the People Power Party’s nomination management committee chairman, stated on the 6th to the Chosun Ilbo, "The main primary elections for the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections will be conducted 100% through general public opinion polls."

This primary method marks a shift from the original plan, which was to select the final candidate through 100% public opinion polls during the preliminary primary and then 20% party member voting and 80% public opinion polls in the main primary. Previously, the People Power Party’s primary preparation committee had agreed on this method as the core approach during a meeting held on November 9 last year.

The shift to 100% public opinion polls in the main primary appears to consider unification with external candidates. By excluding party member voting in the main primary, external figures can participate under the same conditions as internal candidates.

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, also hinted at the possibility of candidate unification during a press conference at the National Assembly on the 6th, saying, "The People Power Party will finalize the most suitable candidate by the end of February," and "If unification is to happen, negotiations can start in early March."

However, Kim also expressed the party’s intention to take a leading role in the opposition candidate unification. Regarding the "100% public opinion poll main primary," he emphasized, "External figures must become party members to participate," and "Without joining the party, they cannot participate together."

As a result, the People Power Party-led opposition candidate unification still seems likely to face difficulties. Both opposition candidates Ahn and Geum have previously expressed negative stances on participating in the candidate primary after joining the People Power Party.

In an interview with Segye Ilbo on the 6th, Ahn responded to a question about the People Power Party’s decision to hold a "100% public opinion poll main primary" by saying, "It should include not only People Power Party supporters but also those who dislike the Democratic Party but cannot vote for the People Power Party," adding, "The opposition cannot defeat the Democratic Party one-on-one with only the People Power Party." This is interpreted as maintaining a skeptical stance on unifying opposition candidates within the main opposition party.

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, is speaking at the first Supreme Council meeting of 2021 held at the National Assembly on the 4th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Geum, who recently announced his intention to run in the Seoul mayoral by-election, also drew a line regarding the possibility of joining the People Power Party, stating, "I should be classified as an opposition candidate."

On the 6th, Geum appeared on MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae’s Focus" and said, "The most important aspect of this election is to check the ruling party’s arrogance, dogmatism, and unilateral rush," adding, "Except for the Democratic Party candidate, all candidates should unite to provide a check, so it is appropriate to classify me as an opposition candidate."

He continued, "While many People Power Party members are active dynamically, in my view, there is public distrust toward the opposition, and the opposition as a whole hopes for a political realignment," and pointed out, "Although the term ‘anti-Moon coalition’ is popular, I don’t think citizens will agree if all the extreme voices gather and say ‘Let’s overthrow the government at all costs.’"

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