Opposition, Heated Debate Over 'Anti-Backdoor Selection Clause'... Yoo Seung-min's Side Calls Yoon Seok-yeol a "Coward"

Yoon and Choi Advocate 'Primary Rule Change' as Alternative to Reverse Selection
Hong Joon-pyo: "Cases Where Candidates Are Decided by Reverse Selection Are Rare"

Yoo Seung-min, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate (from left). / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The campaign team of former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, directly criticized the 'anti-reverse selection clause' (preventing non-People Power Party supporters from participating in the primary vote) raised by some, including former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's camp, saying, "'Coward Yoon Seok-yeol' alone cannot win the general election."

Lee Soo-hee, spokesperson for Yoo Seung-min's campaign, stated in a commentary on the 30th, "Candidate Yoon Seok-yeol should not cowardly hide behind Election Commission Chairman Jeong Hong-won and try to overturn the decision of the Primary Preparation Committee (PPC)."

The spokesperson claimed, "Chairman Jeong Hong-won publicly revealed in a Monthly Chosun interview that he intends to support one of the three candidates: Yoon Seok-yeol, Choi Jae-hyung, or Kim Dong-yeon, and he also met with candidate Yoon separately. Since accepting the position of Election Commission Chairman, he has shown intentions to overturn the PPC's decision by saying that the anti-reverse selection clause is a sensitive issue, effectively representing candidate Yoon's position."

He added, "The primary rules must guarantee both verification and excitement. They should accurately reflect public opinion to verify competitiveness in the general election, and only then can public interest and excitement be ensured."

Furthermore, he criticized, "The risk of daily gaffes is just evasion of reporters' questions, and the lack of preparation is being sidestepped by bringing along the policy team. How can 'coward Yoon Seok-yeol' alone win the general election?" He continued, "Where is the 'overwhelming victory' Yoon Seok-yeol promised, claiming he would win even the votes of moderate and anti-Moon Jae-in Democratic Party supporters? The real primary hasn't even started yet, and I hope former Prosecutor General Yoon is not already trembling."

Hong Joon-pyo, preliminary presidential candidate of the People Power Party. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, candidates Yoon Seok-yeol and Choi Jae-hyung argue for changing the primary rules, saying alternatives are needed to prevent reverse selection, while candidates Hong Joon-pyo and Yoo Seung-min maintain that the existing primary principles should be upheld.

On the 29th, Hong Joon-pyo posted on his social media, regarding the anti-reverse selection clause, "The presidential election is a nationwide election, and since the issue of extensibility depends on the candidate, cases where a candidate is decided by reverse selection are rare."

He added, "The presidential candidate should be chosen through an open primary so that the election truly selects the President of the Republic of Korea, not an election where we gather among ourselves to pick a neighborhood boss. Continued controversy over this issue will only make both the party and the candidates suffer."

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