People Power Party nominates Lee Jin-sook; Park Min-shik and Lee Young-pung to face off in Busan Buk-gu-gap

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[Financial News] The People Power Party's nomination committee announced the results of interviews for candidates in the June 3 by-elections for the National Assembly on the 1st. The committee decided to single-nominate former Korea Communications Commission Chair Lee Jin-sook in Dalseong County, Daegu, and former Vice Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission Kim Tae-gyu in Ulsan Nam-gu Gap constituency. In Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency, where former party leader Han Dong-hoon is running, the committee decided to hold a primary between candidates. As a result, calls for the party to field no candidate there were rejected. The nomination for Gongju, Buyeo, and Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province, where former Chief of Staff to the President Chung Jin-suk is running, was postponed.
Park Duk-hyum, the committee chair, held a briefing at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the day and said, "We have decided to select the final candidate for Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency through a primary between Park Min-shik and Lee Young-pung."
Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency is a district where former party leader Han Dong-hoon is running on the conservative side. Lawmaker Kim Do-eup and lawmakers close to Han also drew attention by arguing that the People Power Party should not field a candidate there. However, the committee decided to hold a primary between former Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik and former KBS reporter Lee Young-pung, effectively blocking the move to leave the district without a party candidate. Both candidates reportedly promised during interviews that they would not unify their candidacies with Han. The winner of the two-way primary will face Ha Jung-woo, former Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, and Han Dong-hoon.
The committee also decided to single-nominate former chair Lee Jin-sook in Dalseong County, Daegu, which became vacant after Choo Kyung-ho resigned his seat to run for mayor of Daegu. Lee had run for mayor of Daegu but was cut from the ticket by the People Power Party Nomination Committee led by Lee Jung-hyun. Although there had been talk that she might run as an independent, she ultimately stepped down and will now enter the by-election.
Former Vice Chairperson Kim Tae-gyu, who worked closely with Lee, received the nomination in Ulsan Nam-gu Gap constituency. The district is where Kim Sang-wook, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for mayor of Ulsan, won in the 22nd general election under the People Power Party banner. Kim Tae-gyu will face Jeon Tae-jin, a lawyer recruited as a talent by the Democratic Party of Korea.
Park Jong-jin, chair of the Incheon city party, was nominated in Incheon Yeonsu A, while Shim Wang-seop, chairman of the Environment and Landscape Architecture Foundation (ELAF), was nominated in Gyeyang B. They will face off against former Democratic Party of Korea leader Song Young-gil and former presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon.
In Hanam-gap, Gyeonggi Province, where former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min had been mentioned as a possible candidate, Lee Yong, chair of the Hanam-gap party committee, received the nomination. In Gwangju Gwangsan-eul, a conservative stronghold, Ahn Tae-wook, chair of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Party, was nominated. In Seogwipo constituency, Ko Ki-cheol, a lawyer, decided to run.
Meanwhile, the party has not yet decided whether to hold a primary in Gongju, Buyeo, and Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province, where Chung Jin-suk is running. The party said this was because disciplinary procedures are under way at the ethics committee in connection with Chung. Under the People Power Party's rules, anyone indicted for serious crimes, indecent crimes, or corruption-related offenses faces punishment at least as severe as a recommendation to leave the party and also loses the right to run in a primary. However, the ethics committee may cancel or suspend disciplinary action if it recognizes "substantial reasons such as political persecution," and it appears to be reviewing that option. Chung is currently facing trial and investigation over allegations including failure to appoint a Constitutional Court justice and destruction of evidence at the Office of the President.
haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter