Gonggwanwi Proposes Revision from '25% Deduction' to 5% for Incumbents and 10% for Independents

Combined, the maximum penalty will be limited to 10%
Voices inside the assembly say, "Misunderstandings or fraud must not be allowed"

Jung Jin-seok, Chairman of the People Power Party's Nomination Management Committee, is delivering a greeting at the first Nomination Management Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 29th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The People Power Party's Nomination Management Committee has put the brakes on the '25% deduction primary rule.' This is a revised proposal to reduce the previously decided local election nomination rules by the People Power Party's Supreme Council, which imposed a 10% deduction for incumbent lawmakers and a 15% deduction for those with a history of running as independents, by 5% each.

A member of the People Power Party's Nomination Committee said in a phone interview on the 29th, "For this local election, it has been decided to deduct 5% for incumbent candidates and 10% for those who run as independents after rejecting the nomination," adding, "If both apply, the total deduction rate will be discussed so that it does not exceed 10%."

Although the final approval from the Supreme Council is still pending, many within the party consider the '25% deduction' excessive, and the Nomination Committee's decision is expected to gain traction. Earlier that morning, concerns about the rule were also raised at the party's floor strategy meeting. Lee Chae-ik, chairman of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, said at the meeting, "Although it has not been finalized yet, please establish clear criteria to prevent misunderstandings or discouragement regarding the nomination standards," and added, "The standards should not change arbitrarily."

Suspicions that this rule was effectively targeted at Representative Hong Jun-pyo, who ran as an independent in the 21st National Assembly election and is now preparing to run for Daegu mayor in June, have intensified the controversy. Representative Hong also submitted a statement regarding the local election nomination regulations. On his Facebook, he wrote, "Imposing such a penalty again on me, who has suffered for one year and four months due to rejoining the party, is an excessively harsh measure and I believe it is against political ethics."

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