Jung Jin-seok: "Opposition Candidate Unification Must Be Achieved Quickly with a Willingness to Sacrifice Myself"

"Seoul Mayor, Busan Mayor Both Difficult"
"The Moment You Show Greed to Claim Your Share, You Will Be Ignored"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Jeong Jin-seok, the People Power Party’s Nomination Management Committee Chairman, said regarding the unification of candidates for the April 7 by-elections, "It must be achieved quickly, with the resolve to sacrifice myself."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 4th, Chairman Jeong expressed this opinion through a post titled ‘Completing the Duty of the Nomination Management Committee Chairman’ on social media (SNS). He stated, "This election is a do-or-die battle that determines the fate of our party and the nation," and assessed, "Both the Seoul mayoral election and the Busan mayoral election are difficult." Chairman Jeong said, "If candidates unify, we can win. Even that, I think, is excessive optimism," adding, "The moment someone shows greed to secure their own share, instead of synergy, they will face the public’s rejection."

Chairman Jeong’s remarks drew attention as they expressed his stance on unification with Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party’s Seoul mayoral candidate confirmed as the unified candidate of the third zone. Within the People Power Party, various opinions have emerged regarding unification with candidate Ahn, ranging from the need to utilize the two weeks until candidate registration to calls for forming an electorate. This contrasts with Ahn’s side, which advocates for swift unification. The unification process is gradually turning into a ‘battle of rules.’

Chairman Jeong said, "In the April 15 general election last year, the People Power Party’s party support in Seoul lagged behind the Democratic Party by 12 percentage points. The ruling power is putting everything on the line in the Seoul mayoral election," and added, "We must face this grave reality."

Additionally, he said, "The people are sternly questioning us now," and asked, "They say the country is in crisis, but how many are willing to risk their lives? The People Power Party is in an emergency situation governed by outsiders. So why don’t you feel a sense of crisis?" The use of terms like ‘outsiders’ and ‘governed by delegation’ to describe the People Power Party’s operation under the emergency leadership of Kim Jong-in also drew attention.

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