Turning Point in Kukmin Party Nominations... Diverging Fates of Veteran Politicians

As the nomination process of the People Power Party reaches its turning point, the fates of veteran lawmakers are diverging. When a veteran who was asked to run in a difficult district was immediately confirmed as the candidate for that constituency, other veterans also stepped forward to run in tough districts. Meanwhile, some veterans have to endure fierce primaries due to the interests involved in their constituencies.

People Power Party's Jeong Young-hwan, Chair of the Nomination Management Committee, is announcing the results of the fifth day of interviews at the Yeouido party headquarters on the 18th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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As of the 19th, the People Power Party has selected candidates for 89 out of 253 constituencies. Among them, 86 were nominated unopposed, and 3 were given priority recommendation (strategic nomination). Forty-four constituencies were set for primaries. Among veterans with three or more terms, 5-term Lee Sang-min (Daejeon Yuseong) and Jeong Jin-seok (Gongju·Buyeo·Cheongyang), 4-term Kwon Young-se (Seoul Yongsan) and Yoon Sang-hyun (Incheon Dong·Michuhol-eul), and 3-term Yoon Jae-ok (Daegu Dalseo-eul), Kim Do-eup (Busan Buk·Gangseo-eul), Park Dae-chul (Jinju Gap), Won Hee-ryong (Incheon Gyeyang-eul), Ahn Cheol-soo (Seongnam Bundang Gap), and Yoon Young-seok (Yangsan Gap) received unopposed nominations.

Former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, who served as a member of the 16th to 18th National Assembly, is running in Incheon Gyeyang-eul, where Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, is also running. The rivalry is already intense. On the 8th, just before the Lunar New Year holiday, Lee and Won crossed paths at a traditional market in Incheon Gyeyang-gu but passed each other without greeting. Won expressed on his Facebook, "Although we are competitors, isn't it possible to at least greet each other?" On the 18th, they met at the opening ceremony of the Gyeyang Football Association held at Gyeyang Sports Park soccer field and exchanged greetings for six seconds.

Lee Sang-min, who left the Democratic Party, was also confirmed as a candidate without a primary. In December last year, Lee criticized the Democratic Party, saying, "It has accumulated all sorts of flaws such as double standards, hypocrisy, shamelessness, and breaking promises, making it impossible to fix," and switched his party affiliation to the People Power Party. Even after joining the People Power Party, Lee said, "(The Democratic Party) is Lee Jae-myung's private party, a shield party, and a 'Gaeddal' party, so it's okay to betray it." Elected in 2004 as a member of the Uri Party, Lee has changed his party affiliation three times, moving to the Liberty Forward Party in 2008 and the Democratic United Party in 2012.

Kim Young-sun, member of the People Power Party. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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Veterans running in the Yeongnam region, known as the 'Nakdong River Belt,' which is controlled by the opposition party, received priority recommendations upon the party's request. Five-term Seo Byung-soo and three-term Kim Tae-ho and Cho Hae-jin are running in Busan Buk·Gangseo Gap, Yangsan-eul, and Gimhae-eul, respectively. Five-term veteran Kim Young-sun, who did not receive unopposed nomination or priority recommendation, declared his intention to run in Gimhae Gap, where Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hong-chul is, instead of his own constituency Changwon Chang-gu. Kim stated on his Facebook the previous afternoon, "I have been encouraging Representative Cho to run together in Gimhae, the stronghold of the Democratic Party, for a month to reclaim Gimhae and lay the foundation for a complete victory of 65 seats in the Yeongnam region," adding, "As a five-term senior lawmaker, I am ready to do anything if the party wants."

Veteran lawmakers who applied for nomination but did not receive unopposed nomination or priority recommendation must compete in primaries. Five-term Joo Ho-young (Daegu Suseong Gap) and Cho Kyung-tae (Busan Saha-eul), and three-term Lee Heon-seung (Busan Jin-gu-eul) and Kim Sang-hoon (Daegu Seo-gu) were confirmed as primary candidates. Joo has refused to run in difficult districts such as the metropolitan area since former People Power Party Innovation Committee Chairman In Yo-han mentioned the sacrifice of Yeongnam veterans in October last year. After the nomination interview on the 17th, Joo said regarding questions about running in difficult districts, "If winning is the goal, it's too late."

However, three-term Ha Tae-kyung is expected to compete in a primary despite running in the metropolitan area instead of his Busan constituency. Ha ran in Seoul Jung·Seongdong-eul at the party's request, but former lawmaker Lee Hye-hoon and former Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee Young, who also applied for nomination, have no intention of stepping down. However, the People Power Party has not designated Seoul Jung·Seongdong-eul as a primary district and has put it on hold, raising the possibility of candidate reshuffling. Jang Dong-hyuk, Secretary-General of the People Power Party, said, "We plan to re-discuss all the districts that were put on hold today," adding, "Since competitive candidates are concentrated in certain constituencies, if they agree after consultation, we will rearrange candidates." He explained, "It's not necessarily only veterans; the procedure involves confirming the willingness to be reassigned or to run among all candidates who have completed interviews before making a decision."

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