People Power Party Faces Growing Nomination Cutoff Controversy... Leadership Says "Primary Is Desirable for Busan"

Busan Mayoral Cutoff Possible After North Chungcheong Governor

Song Unseok: "A Primary Is Needed to Win the Election"

Song Eonseok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, commented on the growing internal debate over candidate cutoffs (nomination exclusions) ahead of the June 3 local elections, saying, "Since two people have applied for the Busan mayoral race, it is appropriate and desirable to hold a primary."

Song Eonseok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party's policy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th.

On the afternoon of the 16th, Song met with reporters and explained, "In order to win the election, it is better to have a fair primary." He also emphasized, "Holding a primary is desirable and the right path." He thereby expressed a negative stance on the possibility of a cutoff for the Busan mayoral nomination.

Earlier, the Nomination Committee held a meeting in the morning, led by Chairman Lee Junghyun, to discuss a generational shift in the nomination process for the Busan mayoral race. The discussion centered around cutting off the incumbent, Park Hyungjun, and granting sole nomination to the other prospective candidate, Assemblyman Joo Jinwoo. However, as differences emerged among committee members, no conclusion was reached.

Other party leaders share the same view as Floor Leader Song. Jeong Jeomshik, Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, stated, "According to our party rules, the most important principle is holding a primary." He added, "The criteria for strategic nominations are clearly defined, and sole recommendations are limited to cases where a candidate is overwhelmingly more competitive than others,"explaining that these standards also apply to local elections.

Chairman Jeong further remarked, "The core of nominations is fairness," and noted, "(Looking at past cases) whenever fairness in nominations became an issue, we always lost the election. Many lawmakers would agree that we need to reflect on these aspects from the past."

Chairman Jeong also explained, "A decision by the Supreme Council is required for the so-called nomination letter to be issued." Although the committee chair has been delegated full authority over nominations, there are concerns that if the situation worsens, decisions made by the nomination committee may not be accepted.

Meanwhile, as the nomination committee included Kim Younghwan, Governor of North Chungcheong Province, on the list of cutoffs for the sake of generational replacement, Governor Kim strongly objected, stating, "I can never accept the committee's decision." He traveled to Seoul in the afternoon to meet with Yang Hyangja, Supreme Council member of the People Power Party. He has announced a press conference scheduled for the 17th to declare his official position.

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