Ha Tae-gyeong Running for Jongno Where Choi Jae-hyung Is... Ruling Party Faces 'Family Feud'

Hong Jun-pyo "Candidacy is freedom, but delusion goes too far"
Kim Byung-min "Different from when choosing the metropolitan area"

Three-term Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party who announced his intention to run in the Seoul metropolitan area instead of his original constituency in Busan Haeundae, has sparked skeptical voices not only outside the party but also within, after declaring his candidacy for the Jongno district, where an incumbent ruling party lawmaker is currently serving.

This situation appears to be an 'intra-family fight' among lawmakers of the same party, rather than winning a seat from the opposition party.

Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, expressed concern on the 27th during YTN's "News & Issue," saying, "Putting aside Representative Choi's competitiveness, from a nominal standpoint, Ha's initial statement about choosing the metropolitan area instead of Busan is somewhat different. I think this requires deeper consideration."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Ha held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "The People Power Party should not remain confined to support in Yeongnam but should expand its base to the metropolitan area," and declared his candidacy for Jongno, emphasizing, "The first condition for winning the metropolitan area general election is to hold onto Jongno." However, the problem is that the incumbent lawmaker in Jongno is not from the Democratic Party but from the People Power Party, Representative Choi.

Supreme Council member Kim said, "When Ha said he would give up the Busan area and come to Seoul's metropolitan area, he mentioned, 'If we gain one more seat, that is, if we take one seat from the Democratic Party, it would be a plus (+) two for us, the People Power Party.' Then, as Ha said, shouldn't he challenge the firmly held metropolitan seats of the Democratic Party and win them with his competitiveness to make it a plus two?" he questioned.

Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu and a senior figure in the party, also criticized, saying, "Jongno is still a symbolic place in South Korea, and it is not a place for someone with a pro-North Korean background," adding, "While candidacy is free, this misconception goes too far."

The opposition party also views Ha's choice as close to a 'bad move (惡手).' Jung Chung-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, wrote on social media that day, "I just laughed. I understand the feeling of 'let's poke at the unripe persimmon,' but I have a premonition that they might not even be able to put up election posters," and added, "Good effort." This is interpreted as meaning Ha is likely to be eliminated during the primary process.

Han Min-soo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, also said on YTN radio that day, "If someone comes to a tough district in the metropolitan area and claims they will win a seat held by a Democratic Party lawmaker to help their party, but ends up choosing Jongno where their own People Power Party lawmaker is, isn't that just fighting among themselves?" and evaluated, "It seems Ha has made a bad move."

Meanwhile, Representative Choi, the incumbent in Jongno, said through social media on the same day, "Protecting Jongno, the 'number one political district,' is important for winning next year's general election. However, Jongno and the hearts of its residents are something everyone dreams of but cannot easily approach," and added, "Having prepared diligently to protect Jongno, I will strengthen my resolve for the upcoming general election."

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