[News Terms] Controversy Sparked by the 'Gongjik Huboja Gicho Jagyeok Pyeongga' Abolition Proposal

The 'Public Office Candidate Basic Qualification Assessment (PPAT·People Power Aptitude Test)' is a qualification exam conducted by the ruling People Power Party for prospective public office candidates. In political circles, it is referred to as the 'nomination exam,' 'nomination qualification exam,' or 'public office candidate qualification exam.'

The test targets prospective candidates for basic and metropolitan councilors affiliated with the People Power Party who intend to run in elections. It does not apply to other public office candidates such as presidential, National Assembly, metropolitan local government heads, or basic local government heads, who are elected or nominated by the party. Politically, it is seen as introduced not only to enhance the capabilities of basic and metropolitan councilors but also to reduce the influence of party district committee chairs who hold the nomination rights for local councilors.

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok is taking the Public Official Candidate Basic Qualification Assessment (PPAT) exam for candidates running for metropolitan and local council positions in the June 1 local elections, held on April 17 last year at Mokdong High School in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On April 17 last year, the first assessment was conducted with about 4,500 applicants for basic and metropolitan councilor nominations taking the test at 19 examination centers across 17 cities and provinces nationwide, marking a first in domestic party history.

Study materials are freely available only to party members through the People Power Party website. The assessment covers eight subjects: ▲ Party Constitution and Regulations ▲ Public Official Election Act ▲ North Korea Policy ▲ Data Interpretation and Situational Judgment ▲ Foreign Affairs and Security Policy ▲ Safety and Society ▲ Youth Policy ▲ Local Autonomy. The test consists of 30 multiple-choice questions scored out of 100 points, with a time limit of 60 minutes.

Using an absolute grading system, metropolitan council proportional representatives must score at least 70 points, and basic council proportional representatives must score at least 60 points to apply for nomination screening. Candidates running in constituencies for metropolitan and basic councilor positions receive up to a 10% bonus score proportional to their test score. For example, a perfect score of 100 earns a 10% bonus, while a score of 85 earns an 8.5% bonus.

On the 5th, former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok criticized media reports stating that "PPAT is under review for abolition" on his Facebook, saying, "Since PPAT is not a difficult exam, the repeated uproar about abolishing it suggests that they might reintroduce quantifiable indicators like 'devotion to the party' or other metrics that are easy for those in power to impose on nominations." People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon emphasized that this was untrue, stating, "Whoever said such nonsense, I have ordered to identify the key person involved."

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