Lee: "A party where even Park Yong-jin doesn't worry about nominations"... The result is 'a disastrous defeat'

Park Yong-jin Eliminated in Seoul Gangbuk-gu Eul... Bottom 10% Reduction
'Sudden Death' Controversy Continues... Internal Conflict Recovery Faces New Turmoil
Criticism of 'Lee Jae-myung Leadership' Risk Management Within the Party

In the Democratic Party of Korea's 'nomination turmoil,' Park Yong-jin, a non-mainstream faction lawmaker considered the last detonator, was finally eliminated in the runoff for Seoul Gangbuk-gu Eul. Although Park claimed to have received majority support, he was defeated by pro-Myeong faction's former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju, unable to overcome the 'bottom 10%' penalty.

According to the Democratic Party on the 12th, the Central Party Election Commission announced the results of the primaries for four constituencies the previous evening. In Seoul Gangbuk-gu Eul, incumbent lawmaker Park Yong-jin and former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju competed in a runoff, with Jeong emerging victorious. In Seoul Seodaemun-gu Gap, lawyer Kim Dong-a advanced to the general election.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Yong-jin is seated in the National Assembly plenary session hall on the 20th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Immediately after the announcement, Park released a statement revealing detailed results. The runoff reflected 50% each from party members' votes and general public opinion polls. Park stated that the turnout among party members was 75%, with 51.79% supporting him. The response rate for the regional residents' automated response system (ARS) was 6.52%, with 51.62% support. He led former lawmaker Jeong, who received 48.21% and 48.38% respectively, in both categories.

However, the results were overturned because he failed to surpass the 'bottom 10%' threshold. Earlier, Park was included among the bottom 10% in the incumbent lawmaker evaluation, which applied a 'deduction penalty' of about 30% to his primary votes. To win despite the deduction, he needed to secure over 59% of the votes in the runoff.

The controversy over the 'sudden death' stems from the problematic opinion poll. The survey on Park's constituency during the lawmaker evaluation that resulted in the 'bottom 10%' designation was conducted by 'Research DNA.' This firm was initially excluded from the Democratic Party's primary survey company selection but was later added due to external pressure, raising suspicions before ultimately being excluded. Park won re-election in the last general election with 64.45% of the vote, the highest among Democratic candidates in Seoul. His legislative record, including the 'Kindergarten Three Laws,' was also notable. Given this context, the remarks by party leader Lee Jae-myung during the August 2022 party convention, when he faced Park, stating "I will firmly establish a party where Park Yong-jin does not have to worry about nominations," are being revisited amid criticisms of 'eliminating political rivals.'

The announcement of the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Gap runoff alongside the two candidates also stirred controversy. With lawmaker Woo Sang-ho's withdrawal, the district was designated a youth strategic constituency. Initially, the Strategic Nomination Management Committee narrowed the candidate pool to three: former emergency committee member Kwon Ji-woong, former Seoul Northern District Prosecutor Kim Gyu-hyun, and Policy Committee Vice Chairman Seong Chi-hoon. However, at the Supreme Council meeting on the 8th, Seong was removed, and lawyer Kim Dong-a was nominated. Kim had defended Jeong Jin-sang, former political coordination chief and a close aide to Lee Jae-myung. Amid this controversy, the primary was held, and Kim advanced to the general election. Despite being politically almost unknown, Kim's clear pro-Myeong faction affiliation and nomination have led to ongoing criticism of the 'completion of the Lee Jae-myung Party.'

A senior Democratic Party lawmaker expressed concern, saying, "With Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum joining the election committee, there was an opportunity to reconcile conflicts, but I was surprised by Park Yong-jin's result," adding, "The leadership's failure to properly manage the controversy over the bottom-tier evaluation will only deepen the confusion."

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