Koo Jageun, People Power Party Gyeongbuk Chairman: "Carefully Considering Nominations for Incumbent Mayors and Governors in Next Year’s Local Elections"

Discussion at 'Asia Forum 21'
Government Should Lead Water Intake Facility Relocation

Koo Ja-geun, Chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Committee of the People Power Party (Gumi-gap), stated on September 17, "The most important thing for next year’s local elections is to establish a nomination system based on principles."

Chairman Koo, at a discussion forum hosted by 'Asia Forum 21,' a gathering of mid-career journalists in the Daegu region held at 7:30 a.m. that day, said, "In the 2018 local elections, the Democratic Party candidate was elected as the mayor of Gumi due to internal discord and division within the People Power Party." He added, "To prevent such incidents from recurring, a strict nomination system is necessary."

Koo Ja-geun, Chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Committee of the People Power Party

Chairman Koo explained, "While candidates for metropolitan governors will be reviewed by the central party, for basic local government heads and local council members, we will deduct points during the nomination review if they have received fines, suspended sentences, or prison terms," adding, "Such individuals should not run for office."

Chairman Koo also commented, "There is public opinion that when a two-term basic local government head is nominated for a third term, they do not work as hard and lack a sense of urgency. However, since circumstances differ in each region, applying a uniform standard is risky."

He continued, "In the past, for incumbent basic local government heads, those with low approval ratings were sometimes not nominated. It is still unclear whether such rules will be applied this time. If they are, the rules must be fair," adding, "The primary goal is for the People Power Party to win. Once the Nomination Review Committee is formed, reviews will proceed. The Gyeongbuk Provincial Committee will serve as an intermediary manager."

Chairman Koo also addressed the issue of relocating the Daegu water intake facility, a major concern in his constituency of Gumi, reiterating, "This does not mean Gumi will not supply water to Daegu." He emphasized, "The relocation of the intake facility is not a matter that should be left solely to local governments. The central government must take the initiative. It should proceed according to a nationwide plan and requires ongoing management at the government level."

He further stated, "Regarding the plan to move the Gumi Haepyeong intake facility upstream to Gamcheon, the consent of Gumi residents must come first." He added, "It would not be desirable for discord to arise between Daegu and Gumi before the local elections. Currently, there is no mayor in Daegu. Therefore, I think it may be necessary to postpone the matter until after next year’s local elections."

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