Confirmed "Power of Incumbents" in People Power Party Primary... "Victory Despite 35% Penalty" (Summary)

Yangcheon-gu Gap and Gwangju-si Eul to Hold Primary Election
Jung Young-hwan "Incumbent Won Despite 35% Deduction"
Survey Conducted by KORA-Affiliated Polling Agency... Focus on Fairness

The People Power Party announced the results of the local constituency primaries for the first time on the 25th. A total of 19 districts, including Dongdaemun-gu Gap in Seoul, were involved. In Yangcheon-gu Gap in Seoul and Gwangju-si Eul in Gyeonggi Province, no candidate received a majority of votes, so a runoff election will be held. The dominance of incumbent local assembly members was confirmed. The People Power Party emphasized "fairness" in this primary and worked hard to highlight the difference from the Democratic Party of Korea, which has been embroiled in nomination controversies.

In Seoul, the final candidates were decided as follows: Kim Young-woo for Dongdaemun-gu Gap, Lee Jong-cheol for Seongbuk-gu Gap, Lee Sang-gyu for Seongbuk-gu Eul, Oh Kyung-hoon for Yangcheon-gu Eul, and Kang Sung-man for Geumcheon-gu. However, in the Yangcheon-gu Gap constituency, preliminary candidates Koo Ja-ryong and Assemblyman Jo Soo-jin will face a runoff. The runoff will be held if no candidate receives a majority of votes.

In Incheon, Shin Jae-kyung was selected as the preliminary candidate for Namdong-gu Eul, and Yoo Je-hong for Bupyeong-gu Gap. In Gyeonggi Province, Lee Hyung-seop won the primary in Uijeongbu-si Eul, and Kim Seon-kyo won in Yeoju-si Yangpyeong-gun. Assemblyman Lee Tae-gyu, who challenged in Yeoju-si Yangpyeong-gun, suffered defeat in the primary. In the Gwangju-si Eul constituency, preliminary candidates Jo Eok-dong and Hwang Myung-joo will proceed to a runoff.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In Chungbuk, Chungju-si Sangdang-gu saw National Assembly Vice Speaker Chung Woo-taek win the primary; in Chungju-si, Assemblyman Lee Jong-bae; in Jecheon-si Danyang-gun, Assemblyman Eom Tae-young; in Boeun-gun, Okcheon-gun, Yeongdong-gun, and Goesan-gun, Assemblyman Park Deok-heum; and in Jeungpyeong-gun, Jincheon-gun, and Eumseong-gun, Assemblyman Kyung Dae-soo each won their primaries. In Chungnam, Assemblyman Jang Dong-hyuk won in Boryeong-si Seocheon-gun, and Jeon Man-kwon was selected as the final candidate in Asan-si Eul. In Jeju, candidate Ko Ki-cheol won the primary in Seogwipo-si.

Overall, incumbent members of the People Power Party won in this primary. It is known that some incumbents won despite receiving lower evaluations and penalties for serving three consecutive terms. Chung Young-hwan, chairman of the People Power Party’s nomination committee, stated, "I evaluate that incumbents did well or that competing candidates were not well known in terms of name recognition," and added, "The results were conducted fairly." He also said, "Among those who passed today, some won despite a 35% deduction," and "I believe the candidates have the best competitiveness."

The People Power Party introduced that "the public opinion polls were selected from the Korea Association of Research Agencies (KORA), one of the top institutions in social and political surveys." This means there is no problem with the credibility of the polls. Chairman Chung said, "Unlike the weekly primary polls, which additionally selected an institution that conducted citizen satisfaction surveys during Lee Jae-myung’s tenure as mayor of Seongnam, fairness can be guaranteed," and added, "If the DNA of the People Power Party’s nomination is based on 'fairness,' the Democratic Party’s nomination DNA seems to be based solely on 'mindfulness,' which is regrettable as a citizen."

The People Power Party explained that the primary results were announced with all candidates and others observing. Chairman Chung said, "No candidate raised objections at this meeting, but about two people refused to sign, so if objections come later, we will disclose all information." The public opinion polls for the runoff will be conducted starting on the 26th.

Meanwhile, the originally scheduled primary for the Hongseong-gun Yesan-gun constituency in Chungnam did not take place because incumbent Assemblyman Hong Moon-pyo declared he would not participate in the primary. Former presidential office civil society chief Kang Seung-gyu became the final candidate as the sole candidate in this area.

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