The Democratic Party Weighs Nomination for Gangseo District Mayor By-election... Kim Tae-woo Favored

The People Power Party is effectively beginning the nomination process for the Seoul Gangseo District Mayor by-election scheduled for October 11. Until last week, the prevailing sentiment leaned toward 'no nomination,' but the atmosphere within the party appears to have completely changed after the Democratic Party strategically nominated former Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency Jin Gyo-hoon as their candidate.

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is conversing with Park Dae-chul, chairman of the Policy Committee, during the government policy questioning session in the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

According to a People Power Party official on the 5th, the party leadership plans to decide on whether to nominate a candidate for the Gangseo District Mayor by-election within this week. Until last week, the dominant trend within the People Power Party was to refrain from nominating a candidate for the Gangseo District Mayor by-election. However, following the Democratic Party's strategic nomination of former Deputy Commissioner Jin Gyo-hoon as their candidate, voices within the party suggesting that this is a 'winnable election' have grown louder, leading to a shift toward fielding a candidate.

Inside and outside the party, there is speculation that former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo is now the most likely nominee. So far, three candidates have registered as preliminary candidates for the People Power Party: former Mayor Kim, Kim Jin-seon, Chairperson of the Gangseo-byeong Party Committee, and Kim Yong-sung, former Seoul City Council member.

Former Mayor Kim served as a member of the Special Inspection Team in the Civil Affairs Office at the Moon Jae-in Blue House and exposed allegations of cover-up related to former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Cho Kuk. He was sentenced to prison in May for 'disclosure of official secrets' and consequently lost his mayoral position. Three months later, last month, he regained his eligibility to run for office through a special pardon granted by President Yoon Suk-yeol on Liberation Day.

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