Park Yong-jin Faces '30% Reduction' and Re-election... "Effectively Excluded from Nomination"

'Makmal' Jeong Bong-ju eliminated... Park Yong-jin and Cho Su-jin in re-election
One person two votes system in all-member voting... Pro-Myeong faction tailored rule
Kim Boo-kyum "Hard to understand, concerned about metropolitan area influence"

The Democratic Party of Korea is facing criticism that it is difficult to avoid a 'silent death' until the final stages of candidate selection. Although the nomination of former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju for Seoul Gangbuk-gu E was canceled due to a controversy over offensive remarks, a strategic primary was adopted instead of succession by the runner-up. Park Yong-jin, an incumbent lawmaker from the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction, must compete in a re-primary with a '30% deduction' penalty due to a low evaluation, and the vote will be conducted by party members with strong influence from hardline supporters.

According to the Democratic Party's Strategic Nomination Management Committee on the 18th, Park and Cho Su-jin, a director at the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, will hold the primary over two days starting today. Previously, in the Jeonnam Suncheon-si, Gwangyang-si, Gokseong-gun, Gurye-gun Gap district, the runner-up Kim Moon-soo, special advisor to the party leader, was nominated after the original candidate was disqualified due to primary irregularities. However, in Seoul Gangbuk-gu E, where former lawmaker Jeong was excluded, a strategic primary was decided.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Yong-jin is holding a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office in Seoul on the 17th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The rules for the re-held primary combine the results of an online vote with a two-vote system: 70% from nationwide party members and 30% from Gangbuk-gu E party members. The previous primary was conducted with 50% from local party members and 50% from general public opinion polls. Since the candidate for the district is now chosen by nationwide party members unrelated to the district, this is considered disadvantageous to Park, who is from the anti-Lee faction and has faced backlash from hardline supporters.

Park must also bear the existing penalty. Since he ranked in the bottom 10% in the incumbent lawmaker evaluation, which sparked a series of defections, 30% of his votes will be deducted. On the other hand, Cho, his opponent, receives up to a 25% bonus as a 'female newcomer.' Simply put, even if Park receives 64% of the votes, he cannot win under this structure.

The party leadership is said to have chosen a candidate with relatively less pro-Lee color to avoid highlighting the 'pro-Lee faction' or 'assassin nomination' frame. This is why spokesperson Han Min-su and others who challenged the primary were excluded. However, since Park is a representative of the anti-Lee faction, Cho is likely to gain reflexive support. Cho previously worked as an aide to former Unified Progressive Party lawmaker Lee Jung-hee.

Within the party, considering the circumstances leading to the re-primary, there are criticisms that the intention is to effectively exclude Park. Kim Boo-kyum, co-chairman of the joint election committee, criticized, "It is hard to understand whether the decision to effectively exclude Park Yong-jin from the primary is a good one," adding, "I am deeply concerned about the impact this will have on Seoul and the entire metropolitan area." Four-term lawmaker Kim Sang-hee reportedly posted in the Democratic Party lawmakers' group chat, "Is the leader (Lee Jae-myung) really that afraid of Park?" and "Is the goal of this general election to make it a perfect 'Lee Jae-myung party'?"

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