Senior Presidential Secretary Ha Jung-woo vs. Han Dong-hoon in a high-profile race? Jung Chung-rae says he is making repeated appeals to send Ha to Busan

[Financial News] Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said ahead of the June 3 local elections that he is pushing to have Ha Jung-woo, Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning at Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House), run in the Busan parliamentary by-election. He remarked, "Just as we made repeated earnest requests to former Prime Minister of South Korea Kim Boo-kyum, we are now making repeated appeals to him as well."
On the 8th in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jung was asked whether the recent meeting between the party's secretary general and Ha was intended to discuss nominating him for the by-election. Jung replied, "We are putting in a lot of effort," confirming that this was indeed the case.
Jung went on to say, "I also plan to meet Senior Secretary Ha soon," adding, "In the near future, there will be a day when the party formally and publicly asks him to run."
His remarks are being interpreted as making official the DPK's intention to recruit Ha for the Busan parliamentary by-election. This comes amid speculation that Cho Seung-rae, the DPK secretary general, met Ha on the 6th to discuss the possibility of him running in the by-election for the Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency.
The Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency is currently represented by DPK lawmaker Jeon Jae-su, who is running in the primary for Mayor of Busan. Jeon has previously said that if a by-election is held in his constituency, "someone like Senior Secretary Ha would be a good candidate" for the party.
Ha, who is from Busan, also addressed the possibility of running in the by-election during a YTN Radio interview on the 6th. He said, "It is not that I have never thought about it," and noted, "The decision of the person with appointment authority is extremely important." He added, "The Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency is where I used to spend time every day when I was young."

Meanwhile, former People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, who was expelled from the PPP, also visited the Busan Buk-gu-gap area on the same day to meet with residents. This has fueled interpretations that a high-profile showdown between Senior Secretary Ha and former leader Han is becoming increasingly likely.

newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter