Who Will Take On Choo Mi-ae? Infighting Rocks the Opposition

According to Financial News, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has selected lawmaker Choo Mi-ae as its candidate for Governor of Gyeonggi Province, while opposition parties are mired in internal strife over whom to field against her. Within the People Power Party (PPP), even an open Supreme Council meeting turned into a war of words.
As of the 9th, political insiders say the opposition camp is publicly welcoming Choo’s nomination, arguing their chances of victory have actually improved. However, they are struggling to settle on a suitable rival, creating a serious headache. Many expect Choo’s hardline image to be a liability in the election, yet because she is a political heavyweight, there is also a strong sense that only a candidate with comparable stature can realistically defeat her.
Within the PPP, Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja and former lawmaker Ham Jin-gyu have so far applied for the party’s nomination for Governor of Gyeonggi Province. Party leaders, believing they need a more widely recognized figure, have been trying to persuade former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and former governor Kim Moon-soo to run, but those efforts are reportedly going nowhere.
In response, the PPP’s Candidate Nomination Management Committee decided to reopen applications, prompting Supreme Council member Cho Kwang-han to step forward. Yet criticism that the field still lacks sufficient political weight has not subsided, and frustration among the original applicants has only grown. That is why Yang publicly vented her anger at the Supreme Council meeting that day.
Yang said, "I completed my interview with the Candidate Nomination Management Committee a month ago and have been waiting for the result, but the committee kept delaying its decision, saying it would look for someone with higher name recognition. As a result, it has shrunk the standing and competitiveness of those who applied from the start," before pointedly asking, "Am I the strange one here?"
She then highlighted her own political career and experience as a former Samsung Electronics executive, saying, "They say the candidate must be well known, they say they are looking for a business leader, they say an advanced-industry expert would be ideal, they say they want someone who used to be an executive at Samsung Electronics. Was Yang Hyang-ja not an executive at Samsung Electronics?" she remarked sarcastically.
Yang also took aim at Cho, who had previously left open the possibility of unifying with a candidate put forward by the Reform Party (South Korea). "The person who says they will newly apply goes on television and says that if he wins, he could yield the candidacy to the Reform Party. Is that what we call a winning nomination, is that what passes for strategy?" she demanded.
The Reform Party (South Korea) is currently searching for its own candidate for Governor of Gyeonggi Province. Party leader Lee Jun-seok has said he is in communication with a particular individual, and some within the party are reportedly arguing that Lee himself should run.
The PPP leadership bristled at the criticism. Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said, "In the course of nominations and primaries, the party’s efforts may not always align with the personal views of each candidate." Even so, he added, "Even if they do not get the outcome they wanted, those who have walked this path together with the party must be prepared to show restraint and make sacrifices for victory in the local elections."
Policy Committee Chairperson Jeong Jeom-sik referred to an earlier attempt to revise party rules so that Supreme Council members who run in elections would have to step down from their posts. He apologized to party members for the day’s public clash. The Candidate Nomination Management Committee soon followed with a statement asking that "Supreme Council members and other party officials who are running in primaries refrain from making public comments about their own campaigns, so as to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or disputes over fairness."
Amid this internal turmoil, some within the PPP have gone so far as to say that Jang should personally enter the race. Six-term lawmaker Cho Kyoung-tae said on KBS Radio the previous day, speaking about the PPP’s difficulty in finding a candidate for Governor of Gyeonggi Province, "The best option would be for party leader Jang to run himself," adding, "With a spirit of putting the party before himself, he should step forward and personally experience the harsh judgment of public opinion."
uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho, Lee Hae-ram Reporter