Democratic Party, 'Day of Destiny' for Individual Notification of Bottom 20%

Won Hye-young, Chairperson of the Democratic Party's Nomination Management Committee, is attending the first meeting of the Central Party Public Office Candidate Recommendation Management Committee held at the National Assembly on the 14th, delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Won Hye-young, the Democratic Party of Korea's nomination management committee chairperson, will directly notify the bottom 20% of lawmakers evaluated in what is effectively considered a 'death list' via phone calls on the 28th. The number of individuals targeted is 22. Those notified can file objections within 48 hours, but strong resistance from the lawmakers is expected.

The Democratic Party's Elected Officials Evaluation Committee previously conducted a lawmaker evaluation, combining mid-term evaluation (45%) and final evaluation (55%) to identify the bottom 20% of lawmakers.

The bottom 20% will face a penalty of a 20% deduction in votes during the nomination primary process. For this reason, this list has been informally called a death list within the party. On this day, each lawmaker's office appeared anxious about receiving a phone call. A Democratic Party lawmaker's office official cautiously stated, "Everyone thinks, 'Surely it won't be our office,' but since no one knows the results, they are just sensing the atmosphere."

Even after the notification of results, the Nomination Management Committee's concerns regarding the 'bottom 20%' lawmakers are expected to continue. This is because the use of the bottom 20% list is inevitable during the screening process. Originally, party regulations stipulated that the 20% deduction would only apply to primary vote counts, but with the enactment of special party rules, the 20% deduction is also applied during the nomination screening stage.

A Nomination Management Committee official explained, "The problem lies in applying the deduction during the screening process," adding, "We need to discuss how and to what extent this will be shared within the committee."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Attention is also focused on the verification results of non-incumbent candidates who have declared their candidacy. On this day, the party's Candidate Verification Committee held a plenary meeting at the Yeouido party headquarters to continue verifying preliminary candidates subject to 'continued review,' including former Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-gyeom, former Ulsan Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Song Byung-gi, former Ulsan Police Chief Hwang Un-ha, and former lawmaker Chung Bong-ju.

These candidates are touching on the Democratic Party's 'Achilles' heel,' such as the government's real estate price suppression policy, lack of gender sensitivity, and allegations of interference in the Ulsan mayoral election. If deemed qualified, significant controversy within the party is anticipated.

Therefore, a conclusion on the eligibility of those under continued review may not be reached on this day. In that case, the verification committee's activities will conclude, and the screening will be transferred to the verification subcommittee under the Nomination Management Committee.

Democratic Party floor leader Lee In-young, regarding calls to exclude these candidates from nominations, said the previous day, "All opinions will be collected, and ultimately, a judgment will be made that aligns with the public's standards and common sense."