The Vanished 'Kim Jong-in Magic'... Proportional Representation No.1 in Dilemma Due to Absence of Key Figure

Yang Jeong-suk and Gyeong Min-jeong Touted as No.1 Proportional Candidates
Narrow Talent Pool with Freshness Holds Back
Surprise External Figures Also Mentioned as Proportional Candidates

The Reform New Party is facing deep concerns ahead of the announcement of the proportional representation candidate list for the general election. As difficulties grow in finding figures who can create a 'wind' to revive the party's stagnant approval ratings, there is an analysis that the 'Kim Jong-in magic' has reached its limits.

According to political circles on the 14th, Yang Jeong-suk and Kyung Min-jeong, members of the nomination committee, are rumored to be the top candidates for the Reform New Party's proportional representation list. The keyword for the nomination committee's number one proportional candidate is a person who combines 'married status' with 'expertise.' The core is whether the candidate empathizes with the party's low birthrate issue and has a policy vision to solve it.

The problem is that it is not easy to find suitable figures within the party's narrow talent pool. In the case of Representative Yang, who is rumored, her previous entry into the 21st National Assembly as a proportional representative of the Democratic Citizens' Party is a stumbling block. If she receives the number one proportional spot, she will inevitably face criticism for attempting re-election as a proportional representative. Commissioner Kyung is also a former member of the Ulju County Council and served as a spokesperson for Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party presidential campaign committee in 2021, which is far from being fresh.

Kim Jong-in, 'Together with Recruited Talent'
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Han Jong-chan = Kim Jong-in, Chairman of the Nomination Committee of the Reform New Party, and Kim Beom-jun, former Special Professor at Pusan National University, are leaving the press conference announcing the recruited talent of the Reform New Party held at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of March 4, 2024.
saba@yna.co.kr
(End)


＜Copyright(c) Yonhap News Agency, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution, AI training and utilization prohibited＞

The application of key party leadership figures such as Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the Policy Committee, and Kim Cheol-geun, secretary-general, for proportional representation is also a burden for the nomination committee. The committee seems to secretly hope for a party-first approach through strategic nominations and running in constituencies by the party leadership. The recruitment of surprise external figures is also mentioned as an alternative. A Reform New Party nomination committee official said, "The final list is expected to be announced within this week."

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