[Current Affairs Show] Oh Seungyong: "Doubts About Jeong Cheongrae's Leadership Grow in Honam"

"Accumulated Dissatisfaction Over Nomination Discord and Inadequate Vetting"
"Independent Incumbents, Including Suncheon Mayor, Challenge for Re-Election"
"A Situation That Poses Significant Pressure for Representative Jeong Cheongrae"

■ Broadcast: The Asia Business Daily's "So Jongseop's Current Affairs Show" (Mon-Fri, 4-5 PM)

■ Host: So Jongseop, Political Specialist ■ Director: Ma Yena, Producer

■ Guest: Oh Seungyong, Director of Meta Voice (May 19, phone interview)

※ When citing the contents of this article, please be sure to credit "So Jongseop's Current Affairs Show."

So Jongseop: Hello, everyone. Welcome to So Jongseop's Current Affairs Show. In the past, the Honam region was considered a stronghold of the Democratic Party, and receiving the party's nomination was almost a guarantee of election. However, it seems public sentiment in Honam is currently quite unsettled. There are even reports that discontent is simmering. Let's connect by phone with Oh Seungyong, Director of Meta Voice, to discuss the situation in Honam. Director Oh, are you with us?

Oh Seungyong: Yes, hello.

So Jongseop: There are reports of significant aftereffects from the Democratic Party's nomination process in Honam and that public sentiment there is quite volatile.

Honam, a Situation Where Discontent Toward the Democratic Party Leadership Is Building Up

Oh Seungyong: Yes, that's correct. In fact, protests against Representative Jeong Cheongrae are currently underway. While it's important to distinguish whether this is a veto against the Democratic Party itself or specifically against the Jeong Cheongrae leadership, dissonance and dissatisfaction have accumulated due to the party leadership's incomprehensible actions during the nomination process.

So Jongseop: I see. Usually, both parliamentary and local elections involve some controversy and noise around nominations, which is fairly common. But it sounds like the situation in Honam has gone beyond that.

On the afternoon of the 12th, members of the People’s Sovereignty Solidarity protesting the opinion poll error related to the Democratic Party's candidate nomination held a demonstration at the Gangjin 2nd Indoor Gymnasium in Gundo-myeon, Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do. Photo by Yonhap News

Oh Seungyong: Yes, that's true. For example, during the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Mayor primary, Governor Kim Youngrok raised various issues. There were 2,308 cases where ARS surveys were disconnected by Jeonnam respondents. The party claims the issue was handled appropriately, but since there has been no public disclosure regarding this, people are left to take the party's word for it without any transparency. Even in the basic local government primaries, such as for the Suncheon mayoral candidate and the Muan county governor candidate, there were clear cases of election law violations, which were revealed through audio recordings and police raids. Yet, rather than addressing or correcting these issues, the leadership seemed preoccupied with covering them up.

Not only for basic local government heads, but also in the metropolitan council member elections, candidates should be able to verify how many votes they received. However, only the results are announced, and there is no way for candidates to confirm whether the reported votes are accurate. This has led to growing distrust toward the leadership. In addition, the process of establishing primary rules has been heavily influenced by local party chairpersons, which has cumulatively resulted in dissatisfaction with Representative Jeong Cheongrae's leadership, even leading to protests.

No-Cut Primaries Have Become Synonymous With Inadequate Vetting

So Jongseop: I see. In the past, Representative Jeong Cheongrae emphasized fairness and transparency in nominations and said he would avoid implementing cut-offs. But in reality, these principles haven't been upheld, with results not being disclosed transparently and the process not being conducted fairly. The level of dissatisfaction seems quite high.

Oh Seungyong: That's right, and another point that must be addressed is that Representative Jeong Cheongrae's so-called "no-cut primary" has become synonymous with poor candidate vetting. Although the intent was to minimize the number of candidates eliminated in the primary process, in practice, there were candidates with significant ethical issues. In cases that the Democratic Party strictly regulates—such as party defection, drunk driving, or problematic histories regarding women—candidates who would have been eliminated in the past were instead given a path to stay in the race through decisions by the Supreme Council. As a result, most incumbents ended up clinching nominations.

There is criticism that the no-cut primary may not have been for the purpose of helping victims of the nomination process, but rather a pre-emptive move to provide a free pass for problematic incumbents.It is only natural that there is suspicion that the no-cut primary ultimately served to protect vested interests and to secure higher nomination probabilities for politicians who supported Representative Jeong Cheongrae in the last party convention, thereby bolstering his bid for the next party leadership.

Yonhap News Agency

So Jongseop: So, rather than simply being a matter of institutional loopholes, the controversy is amplified because there is distrust and suspicion that the current political leadership intervened in the direction of the next party leadership election.

Self-Serving Nominations Are Not Just Rumors

Oh Seungyong: Yes, that's correct. So when some people talk about self-serving nominations, it's not just idle speculation. In particular, Honam is a region where more than one-third of the party's dues-paying members reside, and who commands the support of these members is a crucial factor in determining the next Democratic Party leadership structure. Ultimately, deploying as many allies as possible in local elections and ensuring their victories is a key part of the groundwork for the next leadership bid. Many people are dissatisfied and distrustful because of these factors.

So Jongseop: What is the likelihood that an independent or a Cho Kuk Innovation Party candidate will be elected, especially in Jeonnam, which seems to have a higher probability?

Oh Seungyong: Two districts in Gwangju have already had their district heads elected unopposed, and in the other three districts, the probability of a Democratic Party candidate winning is so high that there isn't much interest. In Jeonnam, there are at least five districts. For instance, in the Danyang county governor race, a direct contest is unfolding between the Cho Kuk Innovation Party and the Democratic Party, with the Innovation Party defending its seat. The Democratic Party is putting up a full-scale fight here, resulting in an extremely tight race. The Hampyeong county governor race also warrants close attention until the end. However, the regions that truly merit attention are those where independent candidates are seeking re-election.

Suncheon Mayor, Gangjin County Governor, and Jindo County Governor Challenge for Independent Re-Election

In the previous local elections four years ago, there were seven districts in Jeonnam where independent candidates defeated Democratic Party candidates. This time, the mayors of Suncheon and the county governors of Jindo and Gangjin are seeking re-election as independents. In particular, the Gangjin county governor race is notable, as protests have even taken place there. Representative Jeong Cheongrae's in-laws are from Gangjin, so the party leadership held their Supreme Council meeting in Gangjin, showing their determination not to lose this race. Ironically, this has turned the contest into a face-off between the Gangjin independent candidate and Jeong Cheongrae, leading to the disappearance of the Democratic Party candidate as a result. If all three independent candidates win in Jeonnam, it would be a major loss of face for the Democratic Party.

So Jongseop: That's very interesting. Whether or not independent candidates are re-elected in these three districts will be a key point of interest in the Gwangju and Jeonnam elections.

So Jongseop: I see. But the situation in Jeonbuk is also not straightforward. Jeonbuk governor candidate Kim Kwan-young is running as an independent and is attacking Representative Jeong Cheongrae for having manipulated nominations. What is your view of candidate Kim Kwan-young?

Independent candidate Kim Kwanyoung for Governor of Jeonbuk Special Autonomous Province is holding a press conference to announce his pledges at the Jeonbuk Provincial Council on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News

Oh Seungyong: The Jeonbuk governor race has quickly become an election that could significantly impact Representative Jeong Cheongrae's prospects for the next party leadership. Personally, I am closely watching two regional elections: the Chungnam governor and the Jeonbuk governor races. Chungnam is Representative Jeong Cheongrae's hometown, and Representative Jang Donghyeok is also from Boryeong, Chungnam. So, this is a "hometown match" between the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, and losing in one's hometown could be very symbolic.

In Jeonbuk, the Democratic Party candidate is now struggling due to various nomination-related issues. Despite the leadership, including Representative Jeong Cheongrae, mounting a full-scale campaign and providing various forms of support, as I mentioned in the earlier Gangjin case, the race has become a showdown between pro-Myung (pro-Lee Jae-myung) Kim Kwan-young and pro-Cheong (pro-Jeong Cheongrae) Jeong Cheongrae, resulting in candidate Lee Wontak being sidelined. From a campaign strategy perspective, this is not ideal.

Jeollabuk-do: Not Democratic Party vs. Independent, but Pro-Cheong vs. Pro-Myung Showdown

For example, if you look at last year's by-election, the Cho Kuk Innovation Party candidate defeated the Democratic Party candidate in the Danyang county governor race. The local residents noted that the Democratic Party, including Representative Lee Jae-myung, Supreme Council members, provincial and city party leaders, and even Democratic lawmakers from neighboring regions, poured resources into Danyang and were essentially stationed there. Ironically, this only boosted interest and value in the Innovation Party candidate.

So, the Jeonbuk governor race is likely to be a dilemma among dilemmas. If the leadership stays out, they are anxious, but if they intervene, it can backfire and cause the Democratic Party candidate to disappear from public view. This is turning into a highly challenging election for the leadership. To give another example, at the beginning of the campaign, candidate Kim Kwan-young was cornered by allegations that he paid proxies to young party members, but the party's expulsion process was carried out so quickly that it allowed him to successfully present himself as a victim. As a result, the race is no longer simply between the Democratic Party and an independent candidate, but rather a showdown between pro-Myung and pro-Cheong factions, which has been an effective campaign strategy for Kim Kwan-young.

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So Jongseop: It seems that candidate Kim Kwan-young is appealing as a victim, saying he should have at least been given the opportunity to explain himself.

Oh Seungyong: Yes, that sentiment is spreading among voters in Jeonbuk. This election is another example of the importance of framing in campaign strategy.

So Jongseop: Honam is known as the Democratic Party's stronghold, with the highest number of dues-paying party members. The party convention is scheduled for August right after the local elections. Would you say the results of the local elections will have a significant impact on the convention?

Oh Seungyong: I believe it will have a major impact. In the last convention, many predicted that candidate Park Chan-dae would receive overwhelming support from Honam, as many lawmakers and local party chairpersons joined his camp. However, the result was the exact opposite. The party sentiment among dues-paying members was focused on candidate Jeong Cheongrae, to the extent that some said the local chairpersons had lost their influence. This local election has made the division between allies and opponents much clearer. This is a situation that will create significant pressure for Representative Jeong Cheongrae.

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