Three 'Anti-Adverse Selection' Figures, Choi Jae-hyung 'Gives Up'... "Changing Established Rules Doesn't Align with My Values"

Choi Jae-hyung States He Will Not Demand Inclusion of Reverse Selection Prevention Clause in Primary Rules
Mentions 'Established Rules,' Appears to Accept Election Commission's Primary Vote on the 3rd
Among 12 Candidates, Only Yoon Seok-youl and Hwang Kyo-ahn Still Demand Reverse Selection Prevention Clause

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Choi Jae-hyung, former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection and a presidential candidate of the People Power Party, announced on the 4th that he would withdraw his claim for the introduction of a reverse selection prevention clause. Amid controversy over whether a vote was held on the 'reverse selection prevention clause' by the party's presidential primary election management committee, Choi's judgment that a conclusion had been reached drew attention.

On the same day, Choi said, "Ahead of the party's fair primary pledge ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, five primary candidates?Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, Ha Tae-kyung, Ahn Sang-soo, and Park Chan-joo?have declared a boycott of the party's primary schedule," adding, "Our camp also advocated for reverse selection prevention, but since changing the established rules does not align with my values, we have decided to stop."

Earlier, People Power Party presidential hopefuls Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, Ha Tae-kyung, Ahn Sang-soo, and Park Chan-joo raised issues regarding the party's election management committee chair Jeong Hong-won's decision to proceed with a re-vote on the introduction of the reverse selection prevention regulation on the 5th, despite the initial vote resulting in a tie and rejection. They demanded the withdrawal of the reverse selection prevention clause and called for acceptance of the primary plan prepared by the primary preparation committee, stating that they would not participate in the fair election pledge ceremony until the original plan was accepted.

Regarding this, some election committee members claimed that an actual vote was not conducted but rather opinions were confirmed, leading to differing views on whether a vote truly took place.

However, with Choi, who had strongly advocated for the introduction of the reverse selection prevention clause, accepting the 'established rules,' he indicated his willingness to accept the voting results. With Choi stepping back from advocating for the reverse selection prevention clause, only two presidential candidates?former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and former Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn?remain in favor of introducing the clause.

Choi Jae-hyung, a preliminary presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is announcing his policy vision in the field of diplomacy and security at the open camp held in Yeouido, Seoul on the 2nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Additionally, Choi stated through SNS, "I joined with the intention of following whatever the party decides from the beginning," and apologized, saying, "I am sorry for the confusion caused so far." Although Choi initially declared that he would abide by the established primary rules, he had been emphasizing the necessity of introducing the reverse selection prevention clause regarding the primary rules. This stance appears to reflect the fact that the support rate among People Power Party supporters was higher than that in the general public opinion polls. This passage reveals that Choi was also uncomfortable with the dispute over the primary rules, which was fought considering the pros and cons of the election results, contrary to his initial thoughts.

Furthermore, Choi said, "The rules of the primary cannot perfectly satisfy all candidates," adding, "We came here to be chosen by the people, and the people are watching all of us." This is seen as an appeal to other candidates, who are showing a power struggle over the primary rules, to avoid further disputes over the rules.

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