Park Deok-heum, chair of the People Power Party nomination committee, answers reporters' questions at party headquarters in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, on May 1. [Photo=Yonhap]
The People Power Party on April 30 finalized candidates for seven of the districts holding June 3 parliamentary by-elections, including Daegu Dalseong. Lee Jin-sook, who previously served as chair of the Korea Communications Commission, was nominated in Daegu Dalseong, and Lee Yong, a former lawmaker, was nominated in Gyeonggi Province’s Hanam Gap. The party put nominations on hold in South Chungcheong’s Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, where Chung Jin-suk, who previously served as presidential chief of staff, applied.
The party’s nomination committee met at headquarters in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo district and approved screening results for eight by-election districts.
It decided on single-candidate nominations for Lee in Daegu Dalseong; Park Jong-jin, head of the party’s Incheon chapter, in Incheon Yeonsu Gap; Shim Wang-seop, chairman of the Environmental Landscaping Development Foundation, in Incheon Gyeyang Eul; Ahn Tae-uk, who previously led the party’s Gwangju chapter, in Gwangju Gwangsan Eul; Kim Tae-gyu, who previously served as vice chair of the Korea Communications Commission, in Ulsan Nam Gap; Lee Yong in Hanam Gap; and Ko Gi-cheol, head of the party’s Jeju chapter, in Jeju Seogwipo. In Busan Buk Gap, where former party leader Han Dong-hoon is running as an independent, the party said its nominee will be chosen through a primary between Park Min-sik, who previously served as minister of patriots and veterans affairs, and former KBS reporter Lee Young-pung.
In Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, seven people applied for the nomination, including Chung. The committee said it would suspend screening after an objection was filed. Committee chair Park Deok-heum said the matter was being handled through party ethics procedures and that a final decision would be made on May 7. The party also said it would reopen applications in North Jeolla’s Gunsan-Gimje-Buan district.
The party accepted applications for the by-elections on April 30 and announced single-candidate picks a day later. While it had initially emphasized primaries, only one of the eight districts will hold a primary under the plan announced Friday.
The nominations also included figures some classify as aligned with former President Yoon Suk Yeol, prompting renewed debate over a so-called “Yoon again” push. Kim Hyun-jung, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a written briefing that the People Power Party had promised to break with the Yoon Suk Yeol government but was “returning to ‘Yoon again,’” and urged the party to “clear out” those forces if it was serious about reform.
Asked about the controversy, Park said he was not sure “who is ‘Yoon again,’” adding that the party selected candidates with strong overall results based on document reviews and interviews.
Separately, the committee nominated incumbent Mayor Lee Beom-seok for the North Chungcheong city of Cheongju. It said it would reopen recruitment for mayoral candidates in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, and Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The single-candidate recommendations announced Friday will be finalized after approval by the party’s supreme council.
The party’s nomination committee met at headquarters in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo district and approved screening results for eight by-election districts.
It decided on single-candidate nominations for Lee in Daegu Dalseong; Park Jong-jin, head of the party’s Incheon chapter, in Incheon Yeonsu Gap; Shim Wang-seop, chairman of the Environmental Landscaping Development Foundation, in Incheon Gyeyang Eul; Ahn Tae-uk, who previously led the party’s Gwangju chapter, in Gwangju Gwangsan Eul; Kim Tae-gyu, who previously served as vice chair of the Korea Communications Commission, in Ulsan Nam Gap; Lee Yong in Hanam Gap; and Ko Gi-cheol, head of the party’s Jeju chapter, in Jeju Seogwipo. In Busan Buk Gap, where former party leader Han Dong-hoon is running as an independent, the party said its nominee will be chosen through a primary between Park Min-sik, who previously served as minister of patriots and veterans affairs, and former KBS reporter Lee Young-pung.
In Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, seven people applied for the nomination, including Chung. The committee said it would suspend screening after an objection was filed. Committee chair Park Deok-heum said the matter was being handled through party ethics procedures and that a final decision would be made on May 7. The party also said it would reopen applications in North Jeolla’s Gunsan-Gimje-Buan district.
The party accepted applications for the by-elections on April 30 and announced single-candidate picks a day later. While it had initially emphasized primaries, only one of the eight districts will hold a primary under the plan announced Friday.
The nominations also included figures some classify as aligned with former President Yoon Suk Yeol, prompting renewed debate over a so-called “Yoon again” push. Kim Hyun-jung, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a written briefing that the People Power Party had promised to break with the Yoon Suk Yeol government but was “returning to ‘Yoon again,’” and urged the party to “clear out” those forces if it was serious about reform.
Asked about the controversy, Park said he was not sure “who is ‘Yoon again,’” adding that the party selected candidates with strong overall results based on document reviews and interviews.
Separately, the committee nominated incumbent Mayor Lee Beom-seok for the North Chungcheong city of Cheongju. It said it would reopen recruitment for mayoral candidates in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, and Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The single-candidate recommendations announced Friday will be finalized after approval by the party’s supreme council.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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