People Power Party's Kyungjoon Committee "First Cutoff Announcement on September 15... Rural Volunteer Work and All-Day Live Broadcast Scheduled"

October 8 Second Cutoff Announcement
Four Candidates Advance to Main Election

Seo Byung-su, Chair of the People Power Party's Presidential Primary Preparation Committee, is attending the 20th presidential election primary preliminary candidates' general meeting held at the National Assembly on the 5th, delivering a greeting./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Ahead of the primary election starting on the 30th, the People Power Party's Primary Preparation Committee has finalized the overall primary rules and schedule. The People Power Party plans to announce the results of the first cut-off on the 15th of next month and the second cut-off on October 8, followed by the main primary election consisting of only four candidates.

Seo Byung-soo, chairman of the Primary Preparation Committee, met with reporters after a committee meeting at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 10th and stated, "We have concluded discussions on various schedules and primary activities up to now."

With this, the committee has established the basic framework for the primary process to select the People Power Party's presidential candidate. According to the committee's decision, after the launch of the Election Commission on the 23rd, candidate registration will be accepted over two days, the 30th and 31st.

In the first cut-off primary, each candidate will go through stages including rural volunteer work, vision storytelling presentations, and a debate in the form of an "All-day live broadcast."

The first cut-off policy debates are scheduled for two sessions on the 18th and 25th. The debate on the 18th will cover topics related to the economy, such as job creation, real estate issues, and income-led growth, with presentations and discussions among candidates. The debate on the 25th will focus on social issues, including diplomacy and security, unification, and judicial reform. Following this, a public opinion poll with 100% general public voting will be conducted on the 13th and 14th of next month, with results announced on the 15th.

The second cut-off primary, to be held at the end of September, will include a pressure interview-style hearing debate, broadcaster debates, and a youth collaboration team battle debate. The voting method will be 30% electoral college and 70% public opinion poll, with results announced on October 8. However, party member voting will remain open until the closure of the electoral college list.

In the main primary, a total of 10 debates will be held, including one-on-one face-off debates, four-person vision debates, and broadcast debates. Voting will be conducted with a 50% electoral college and 50% public opinion poll ratio, as stipulated in the party's constitution and regulations.

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is attending the party's presidential primary candidates meeting held at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 29th, delivering a greeting./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

However, the current party leadership and the Primary Preparation Committee have differing views on whether to include a reverse selection clause. Chairman Seo maintained his position, stating, "The term 'reverse selection' itself does not exist in the party constitution and regulations," and added, "Considering the rule we set to reflect 50% electoral college and 50% general public opinion poll, a reverse selection prevention clause is unnecessary."

There is also debate over whether the authority to decide the primary rules lies with the committee or the party's Supreme Council, and attention is focused on what decision the party leadership will make. Seo said, "There may be other decisions at the Supreme Council meeting," but also noted, "I have been informed that full authority has been delegated regarding all schedules and content except what is explicitly stated in the party constitution and regulations."

Earlier, controversy arose over eligibility to participate in party primary events such as debates. The camp of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl stated that "since he has not yet registered as a candidate, participation is optional." In response, Chairman Seo explained, "We will invite and include anyone registered with either the Central Election Commission or the party's Election Commission," and added that there will be no penalties for non-participation in events.

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