Kim Tae-woo Finally in Gangseo-gu By-election... Ruling and Opposition Candidates Confirmed

Opposition: "A Signal of the Fall of the Yoon Administration"
Ruling Party: "Competitive Candidate Elected Through Primary"

The candidate lineup for the Seoul Gangseo District Mayor by-election scheduled for October 11 has been finalized between the ruling and opposition parties. The People Power Party (PPP) has nominated former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo, who was selected through a primary, as the challenger to Jin Gyo-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate.

This election is being held following the loss of office by former Mayor Kim, who was sentenced to prison. During the Moon Jae-in administration, Kim served as a special inspection team member in the Blue House's Office of Civil Affairs and exposed allegations of cover-up by then-Chief of Civil Affairs Cho Kuk. However, in May, the Supreme Court confirmed a sentence of one year in prison with two years probation for Kim on charges of leaking official secrets.

The People Power Party initially considered not nominating a candidate in Gangseo District. This was due to party rules stating that if an elected official from the party causes a by-election due to their own fault, the party will not nominate a candidate. There was also concern that nominating the person responsible for the by-election could lead to leadership accountability if defeated. However, President Yoon Suk-yeol reversed this stance last month by including former Mayor Kim in the special pardon list for Liberation Day.

The Democratic Party criticized the appropriateness of former Mayor Kim, who caused the by-election, running again. Gang Seo-woo, the party spokesperson, said in a written briefing, "The person who granted the 'special pardon' that declared 'not guilty' what the judiciary ruled as 'guilty' is none other than President Yoon Suk-yeol." She added, "Kim's political life belongs not to the residents of Gangseo but to President Yoon. Do not beg the residents of Gangseo."

The campaign team of Democratic Party candidate Jin Gyo-hoon stated in a comment, "Even though the mask of 'whistleblower' was removed by the Supreme Court ruling, President Yoon swiftly granted a special pardon, and the People Power Party bizarrely nominated him again." They emphasized, "The nomination of Kim will be a signal of the downfall of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The People Power Party stated that a competitive candidate was chosen through the primary. Former Mayor Kim defeated his competitors, Kim Jin-sun, head of the Gangseo-byeong party committee, and Kim Yong-sung, former Seoul city council member, in the primary held on the 15th and 16th, which was based 50% on party member surveys and 50% on general voter surveys.

Rep. Lee Yong of the People Power Party said, "Politics is a battle of legitimacy," and added, "I believe there is a sufficient chance of winning." In an interview with KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' on the 18th, he said, "Former Mayor Kim always says that although he was first charged with leaking official secrets, he actually revealed to the entire nation the attempts by former Chief of Civil Affairs Cho Kuk to cover up inspections. There is enough room to appeal that he was persecuted by the previous administration."

He continued, "If we look deeper, we won the last presidential and local elections. Therefore, in this by-election, it might be time to revisit the mistakes of the previous government." According to Rep. Lee's analysis, although the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has been in office for about a year and a half, the judgment against the Moon Jae-in administration still dominates in Gangseo District.

Rep. Lee said, "If our goal is to reclaim the metropolitan area amid the metropolitan crisis theory during the general election, whether we get 5% or 10%, we must fight and appeal until the end. Only then do I see some hope for next year's general election." He predicted, "I absolutely do not think we will lose. It will be a close race."

Rep. Tae Young-ho said, "The most important thing is to win this by-election, so the candidate with the highest recognition and competitiveness in Gangseo District should run," and defended, "Kim Tae-woo was reconfirmed through a primary that selected a competitive and well-known candidate."

On YTN Radio's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon' that day, Rep. Tae said, "No matter how the primary process went, what meaning would there be if we lose the election?" He added, "If we set primary rules to select competitive candidates, I believe the possibility of winning this election opens in all constituencies."

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