"Out with Outdated 'Line-Up' Politics"... Min Hongil and Kim Seoksun Announce Joint Departure from Democratic Party as Haenam County Council Members

"Aides on the Nomination Screening Committee?"
Direct Criticism of the Nomination System
Refused to Submit Final Nomination Documents Despite Passing Preliminary Screening

Min Hongil, a member of Haenam County Council, and former council chairman Kim Seoksun have officially announced their joint departure from the Democratic Party of Korea, expressing strong distrust in the party's nomination system and declaring their intention to run as independents. The successive withdrawal of incumbent council members, who allege “line-up politics” by the local party chair and an opaque nomination process, is causing significant turmoil in the local political sphere of Haenam.

On the 19th, Min Hongil and former Chairman Kim Seoksun held a press conference at the Haenam County Council Resident Communication Office to formalize their joint departure and delivered a scathing critique of the Democratic Party’s current nomination system. During the afternoon press conference, Councilman Min stated, “I submitted the required documents for the party’s preliminary nomination and passed the eligibility review, but I did not submit the final nomination documents.”

Min Hongil, a Haenam County Council member who decided to leave the Democratic Party of Korea in protest against the party’s nomination system, held a press conference on the 19th at the Haenam County Council Resident Communication Room to express his position. Photo by Lee Jungkyung

Explaining the reason, Councilman Min said, “The process must be convincing to the residents, regardless of the outcome, but I felt a serious sense of concern about the overall nomination procedure.” He emphasized the justification for his departure, stating, “The process must be understandable to the people of the county, but the current nomination process has lost even the minimum standards of fairness.”

◆Tricks for “planting allies” and rejoining the party... The collapse of grassroots democracy

In an interview with The Asia Business Daily, Councilman Min strongly criticized the excessive intervention of the local district’s National Assembly member (who also serves as the local party chair) in local council affairs and the unfair operation of the party.

He asserted, “During the last second-half chairmanship election, the current member of the National Assembly, in order to install his independent supporters as chair, arranged for their re-entry into the party through the central committee in just a few days, bypassing the standing committee entirely.”

He added, “Forcing a primary election without even observing the party’s own rule that someone must pay party dues for six months to obtain full membership fundamentally undermines grassroots democracy,” arguing that this amounted to clear political retaliation and disadvantage against non-mainstream figures who had supported other candidates in the previous general election.

He specifically targeted the lack of transparency in the Jeollanam-do Party’s Candidate Recommendation Management Committee (known as the screening committee). Councilman Min said, “How can we expect transparent nominations when the aides to the local National Assembly member are sitting on the review committee? It’s an obvious attempt to calculate gains and losses in advance and orchestrate the outcome internally.”

He also voiced his fatigue with the so-called “line-up” style of outdated politics. Councilman Min said, “Every weekend, candidates are gathered to places like Jindo and Wando just to be lined up. Rather than wasting time on such meaningless practices, I intend to focus on listening directly to the voices of the residents. The party nomination system for basic council members must be abolished.”

◆“I will stand before the judgment of the people, not seek a nomination certificate”... A fierce battle anticipated

Councilman Min made it clear that he would have no lingering attachment to the Democratic Party of Korea. He said that even principles such as Assemblyman Jeong Cheongrae’s “Four Zeros Principle” and the clean nomination stance are rendered meaningless in the face of the local party chair’s unchecked power. He declared, “If the district chair changes, the devoted existing party members are swept aside and a new faction is formed—this privatization of the party is severe, and I have absolutely no intention to rejoin.”

He added, “A nomination certificate is just a piece of paper, but the achievements of the past four years cannot be erased. I will be evaluated with confidence based on my ability and results, not by factional ties. Even if I leave the party, I have never left the people, and I will continue to practice responsible politics to the end.”

With the successive announcements of departures by incumbent council members, the upcoming local election in Haenam is expected to become a fierce contest between the Democratic Party candidate and competitive independent candidates.

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