Lee Jung-hyun said, “Except for Kim Young-hwan, there will be an additional call for candidates on the 17th,” and “this decision will not end with Chungbuk only.”
The nomination management committee of the People Power Party (PPP) confirmed the cutoff decision to exclude Chungbuk Governor Kim Young-hwan from the nomination review process for the June 3 local elections. Governor Kim became the ‘first incumbent cutoff’ among the PPP’s metropolitan leaders.
On the morning of the 16th, nomination committee chair Lee Jung-hyun announced at the Yeouido central party headquarters, “After thorough discussions regarding the nomination for Chungbuk governor, we have decided to exclude the current governor from the nomination list and accept additional applications aside from the existing applicants to finalize the candidate.”
The committee announced the additional recruitment for the Chungbuk governor on the same day and will accept applications on the 17th. Should new applicants emerge, immediate interview screenings will be conducted. New challengers are expected to compete with already declared candidates such as Cho Gil-hyeong, former mayor of Chungju, Yoon Hee-geun, former police chief, and Yoon Gap-geun, a lawyer.
The committee emphasized, “This decision is not to deny or underestimate the current governor’s achievements and contribution,” and added, “This decision is not about evaluating an individual but about the issue of political change.”
Moreover, the committee stated, “What the PPP needs to demonstrate to the public now is not politics that stay stagnant in stability but politics of innovation that change and shake themselves,” and stressed the need for new leaders who embody the spirit of the new era, possess the vision and capability to drive future industries and regional innovation, and can strongly realize demands for generational change, especially in pivotal areas like Chungbuk.
Furthermore, the committee stated, “This decision by the PPP will certainly not end with Chungbuk alone” and vowed to continue the nomination innovation aimed at public approval and future politics rather than vested interest nominations and politics of inertia.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is gearing up for its primary with candidates such as Noh Young-min, former presidential chief of staff, Song Gi-seop, former county governor of Jincheon, Han Beom-deok, former mayor of Cheongju, and Shin Yong-han, former vice-chairman of the local university committee. The Democratic Party plans to finalize its candidate through a national participatory primary composed of 30% rights party members and 70% safe number electorates. Although the party usually employs a 50%-50% composition, due to concerns over leaked party member rosters in Chungbuk, the party’s nomination committee has decided to reduce the weighting of party member reflection.