Democratic Party Demands Re-nomination of Proportional Representation Seat Recommended by Civil Society Amid 'Pro-North Korea Controversy'

The Democratic Party of Korea demanded a re-nomination regarding the composition of the proportional representation seats allocated to civil society by the satellite party of the opposition, the Democratic Union. Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said after the floor strategy meeting on the 12th, "We will respect the will of civil society as much as possible, but we are in a situation where an election must be held. We expect a good conclusion."

When forming the opposition proportional representation coalition, the Democratic Union agreed to have civil society recommend four proportional representation candidates. Accordingly, the Coalition Political Civil Society Meeting recommended Jeon Ji-ye, former vice president of the student council at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, and Jeong Young-i, former village chief of Gurye-gun, as proportional representation candidates. However, controversy arose when it was revealed that they had been active in 'Gyeore Hana,' a group known in the past as an anti-American organization, sparking accusations of pro-North Korean sympathies.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Regarding this, Yoon Young-duk, co-representative of the Democratic Union, said in a phone call on the 12th, "The candidate recommendation process within the Democratic Union is conducted independently by each unit, so it is not possible to take a position or convey opinions on controversial matters." However, he added, "Since this issue is socially controversial and the Democratic Party, which has been leading political negotiations, has expressed concerns, we hope civil society will thoroughly review these aspects and make judgments about the recommended candidates." Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said at a press conference held in Cheonan, Chungnam, the previous day, "There is a need for reasonable appointments that meet the public's expectations."

Civil society representatives stated that they have not yet heard anything from the Democratic Party or others. Kim Seong-geun, pastor of the Coalition Political Civil Society Meeting, said, "If a request comes, we will review it and make a judgment at that time."

The Democratic Union plans to conclude the matter through screening procedures such as 'document review' if civil society does not raise any objections or decide to replace the controversial proportional representation candidates. Co-representative Yoon said, "The final submission will be made by the Democratic Union," adding, "Once the documents are submitted, we will conduct a review and reach a conclusion."

The People Power Party’s proportional representation satellite party, People’s Future, also began the nomination process starting with candidate interviews. Yoo Il-jun, chairman of the People’s Future nomination committee, said at a briefing that day, "The first criterion is morality. Those who do not meet the moral standards will be decisively excluded." He added that they will evaluate candidates based on expertise and their vision and philosophy regarding national issues.

According to the People’s Future nomination committee, a total of 530 candidates applied for proportional representation nominations over six days from the 3rd to the 9th, including 331 men (62.5%) and 199 women (37.5%). This is similar to the 531 applicants who applied for the Future Korea Party, the proportional representation satellite party created by the predecessor of the People Power Party, the United Future Party, in the 2020 21st general election. Among the applicants, 497 candidates, excluding incumbent lawmakers and others, are subject to interviews. The screening will continue until the 14th.

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