Democratic Party Nominates Lee Kwangjae for Hanam Gap, Kim Yongnam for Pyeongtaek Eul, and Kim Namguk for Ansan Gap

The Democratic Party of Korea has finalized its nominations for the Gyeonggi region in the upcoming by-elections, which will take place alongside the June 3 nationwide local elections. Lee Kwangjae, former Governor of Gangwon Province, has been strategically nominated for Hanam Gap in Gyeonggi; Kim Yongnam, former lawmaker, for Pyeongtaek Eul; and Kim Namguk, former lawmaker, for Ansan Gap.

The Democratic Party’s Strategic Nomination Management Committee announced on April 27 that it had convened a meeting and approved the review of by-election parliamentary candidates as outlined above.

Yonhap News Agency

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Chief Spokesperson Kang Junhyun stated, "For Hanam Gap, a key swing district that saw a razor-thin contest in the last general election, we have placed candidate Lee Kwangjae, who has always put the party first in difficult times." He added, "Lee is a heavyweight politician with experience as a three-term lawmaker and as a metropolitan governor, making him the right person to promptly and effectively address major regional state-led projects, such as the GTX extension, by directly coordinating with the central government."

Regarding Kim Yongnam, the former lawmaker, Kang explained, "During the last presidential election, he made significant contributions to broadening our party’s base and securing victory," and added, "We judged that his wide-ranging support across political lines gives him strong competitiveness in challenging districts."

As for Kim Namguk, the former lawmaker, Kang stated, "Until recently, he served as Secretary for Digital Public Communication in the Presidential Office, deeply understanding President Lee Jaemyung’s state philosophy and maintaining communication with local residents," and continued, "Based on his robust organizational skills and high level of understanding of local issues, developed during his tenure as a lawmaker for Ansan Eul, he will be immediately deployed in the field to lead our party to victory."

Regarding Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute and a close confidant of President Lee who had hoped to run in the Gyeonggi region, the party announced that he will not receive a strategic nomination in this by-election.

Secretary-General Cho Seungrae stated, "Although there were many voices within and outside the party calling for an opportunity for former Deputy Director Kim, considering he is a victim of prosecutorial misconduct and has made various contributions to the party and the president, we have decided that it is more appropriate not to nominate him after comprehensively assessing the impact on the local and by-elections as a whole."

He added, "It should be understood that it will also be difficult to consider nominating former Deputy Director Kim in other regions."

Lee Yeonhee, Chair of the Party Strategy and Planning Committee, said, "Today, I met with former Deputy Director Kim. I fully explained the background and circumstances, and I expect he will make a significant decision for the good of the party moving forward."

In addition, the Democratic Party explained that it plans to soon nominate Ha Jungwoo, Senior Presidential Secretary for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Future Planning, as a candidate. Secretary-General Cho stated, "We understand that Senior Secretary Ha's resignation will soon be accepted. Once that happens, we will proceed with the procedures for recruiting him as talent and the nomination process accordingly."

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