DPK: "Ha Jungwoo Recruitment Progressing Beyond Previous Stages... Jeong Cheongrae to Persuade This Week"

Press Briefing by Democratic Party Secretary-General Cho Seungrae

Ulsan Nam-gap By-election Also Expected to Feature "First Talent Recruitment"

Cho Seungrae, Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on April 12 that there has been "progress" regarding the recruitment of Ha Jungwoo, Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, as a candidate for the Busan Buk-gap parliamentary by-election. The Democratic Party confirmed that Representative Jeong Cheongrae will meet with Senior Secretary Ha this week to persuade him to run.

At a press briefing held at the National Assembly that day, Secretary-General Cho said, "We are entering a period of careful consideration to produce the optimal candidate we have in mind," and added, "The situation has progressed compared to the past."

Yonhap News Agency

Earlier, Lee Yeonhee, head of strategic planning for the Democratic Party, appeared on KBS’s 'Sunday Diagnosis' program on April 12 and commented on the recruitment of Senior Secretary Ha, saying, "Personally, I think we have passed about 80 percent of the hurdles." In response, Secretary-General Cho said, "Even if we have overcome 80 percent of the hurdles, the remaining 20 percent still requires additional efforts from the party," and added, "We believe he is an outstanding talent who can symbolize the future of Busan, so we are doing our utmost to bring him on board."

At the briefing, Strategic Planning Chief Lee said, "The Secretary-General has already met with Senior Secretary Ha, and so have senior party lawmakers," adding, "This week, Representative Jeong Cheongrae plans to meet and directly ask him to run." He continued, "Initially, Senior Secretary Ha turned down the offer for various reasons, but I have heard that he has become more receptive during the process of communication. I expect that when Representative Jeong makes the request, it could lead to a significant decision."

The Busan Buk-gap constituency is set to hold a by-election during the upcoming local elections, as incumbent lawmaker Jeon Jaesoo is running for Busan mayor.

Regarding the candidate for the Ulsan Nam-gap parliamentary by-election—which will be held due to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Sangwook’s bid for Ulsan mayor—Secretary-General Cho said, "We are expediting the recruitment of talent," and added, "There is a high possibility that the first talent recruited in Ulsan will be selected."

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