Democratic Party Nominates 'Han Minsu' for Gangbuk-gu E... Lee Jae-myung Says, "Pro-Lee? Then Why Haven't They Given a Chance Until Now?" (Summary)

Lee Jae-myung Exercises Full Delegated Authority to Decide Nominations
Gangbuk-gu E Constituency Sees Candidate Changes After Successive Withdrawals
Jung Bong-ju → Jo Su-jin → Han Min-su

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, nominated Han Min-su as the candidate for Gangbuk-gu Eul on the 22nd. The Gangbuk-gu Eul electoral district initially nominated lawyer Cho Su-jin, but she abruptly withdrew at dawn, leading to an urgent decision on the candidate on the day of candidate registration.

Democratic Party spokesperson Kang Min-seok said in a briefing that day, "Leader Lee, using the authority delegated by the Party Affairs Committee and the Supreme Council, approved and ratified spokesperson Han Min-su as the candidate for Seoul Gangbuk-gu Eul."

Regarding the earlier withdrawal of lawyer Cho, he said, "Her withdrawal is regrettable," and added, "We respect lawyer Cho's intention not to cause even the slightest hindrance to the judgment of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration." He continued, "We will respond to lawyer Cho's intention by judging the administration and achieving the people's victory."

Lawyer Cho announced her withdrawal from the candidacy early that morning via social media (SNS). She explained, "I started with the sole thought that the tyrannical rule monopolizing legislative power by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration must be stopped," and added, "Regardless of how my candidacy is evaluated, this general election was more important."

Han Minsu, Spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea [Image source=Yonhap News]

She continued, "As a lawyer, I always did my best for my clients, and if I became a member of the National Assembly, I intended to do everything possible solely for the residents of Gangbuk-gu and the people with the same attitude," but added, "However, it seems that my efforts did not meet the expectations of the people." She appealed, "If I continue, this controversy will persist throughout the election period," and urged, "Please stop further attacks on the party."

Initially, former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju was selected as the candidate for Seoul Gangbuk-gu Eul, but his nomination was canceled due to controversies including remarks about 'crutches as prizes.' Subsequently, lawyer Cho won the nomination after a primary against incumbent lawmaker Park Yong-jin. However, controversies arose immediately after the nomination regarding her past legal career, including allegations of sexual misconduct and wage arrears. Voices calling for her withdrawal came not only from the ruling party but also from women's organizations and within the Democratic Party.

Amid these series of controversies, the Democratic Party was able to finalize the candidate for Gangbuk-gu Eul after three rounds of nominations.

Some speculated about the possibility of incumbent lawmaker Park Yong-jin being nominated for Gangbuk-gu Eul, but the party had ruled out that possibility. Ahn Kyu-baek, head of the Democratic Party's Strategic Nomination Management Committee, said, "Since registration closes today, a primary in any form is impossible," adding, "Only strategic nomination is possible." Regarding the succession of Park, who lost the primary to lawyer Cho, he said, "There is almost no succession by runner-up."

Lawmaker Park, who was ranked in the bottom 10% among incumbents, faced a penalty of a 30% deduction in votes and went through two rounds of primaries including a runoff against former lawmaker Jeong. After Jeong's withdrawal, Park again competed in a primary against lawyer Cho but was defeated.

At a press conference held in Seosan, Chungnam, Leader Lee commented on lawyer Cho's withdrawal, saying, "While a lawyer's role is to defend criminals, regardless of how well they perform as legal professionals, if from the people's perspective it is excessive, inappropriate, or insufficient as a public official, I think it is right to respect the will of the people." Regarding the selection of spokesperson Han as the candidate, he explained, "Han was recruited into the party a long time ago as a journalist and has devoted a long time to the party. I felt a heavy burden as the party leader because he had not been able to run until now, and since this was the last chance, I chose spokesperson Han as the most verified candidate acceptable to party members and the public."

In response to criticism that incumbent lawmaker Park was excluded from consideration because he is from the anti-Lee faction, he called it "a pathetic comment," saying, "If spokesperson Han were pro-Lee, would he have been denied primary opportunities until now? Now that he has returned from hell and received the nomination, would he be pro-Lee?" He added, "Lawmaker Park is an excellent politician and a promising candidate, but he had two chances, whereas spokesperson Han had no chance and has devoted himself to the party for a long time without reward or honor." He concluded, "The decision to select candidate Han was an overwhelming decision by the Supreme Council."

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