Assassins Nomination·Taeyoungho... Is Hong Junpyo the Last Puzzle for the Liberty Korea Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Area?

Kim Hyung-o "Jangsu Shortage"... Metropolitan Area Recapture Operation
Na Kyung-won, Oh Se-hoon, Shim Jae-cheol and Other Leading Figures Establish Bases
Strategy to Deploy Party Leaders, Senior Members, and Prominent Figures in Large Numbers

Former North Korean Embassy Minister to the UK Tae Yong-ho poses holding hands with Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn and Nomination Committee Chairman Kim Hyung-oh after announcing his entry into the Liberty Korea Party and candidacy for the April 15 general election constituency at the National Assembly on the 11th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] From party leader-level and prominent candidates to veteran "assassin" nominations. The Seoul metropolitan area strategy of the Liberty Korea Party in preparation for the April 15 general election is taking shape.

The party’s nomination management committee plans to appoint top-tier candidates for each key area in the metropolitan region and put them at the forefront of the election. This is a kind of "Avengers" strategy, placing representative-level candidates in regional strongholds to lead the election efforts. On the 10th, Kim Hyung-o, chairman of the nomination committee, said, "If we launch a Seoul metropolitan area recapture operation with key figures such as former floor leader Na Kyung-won, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and floor leader Shim Jae-cheol from Gyeonggi as bases, it will surely succeed."

A key official of the Liberty Korea Party said, "The entire metropolitan area is a tough terrain. We have been planning to stir up momentum by putting forward representative-level candidates from east, west, south, and north." There is talk of placing former Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok in Incheon and newly joined lawmaker Lee Chan-yeol in Suwon as marquee players.

The metropolitan area has a total of 122 constituencies, making it the most critical battleground with the largest number of seats at stake. However, the election results four years ago saw the Democratic Party of Korea sweep 82 seats, while the Liberty Korea Party secured only 35. The results of the local elections two years ago were even more dismal. All metropolitan government heads were lost to the Democratic Party, and only 3 out of 65 basic local government heads were retained. Due to high political sensitivity and a relatively strong progressive tendency, the Liberty Korea Party has always been at a disadvantage.

Chairman Kim’s assessment is that "there are not even enough veterans to fight in such a difficult situation." This is also reflected in the first round of nomination applications by the Liberty Korea Party. There were 251 applicants for nominations in the metropolitan area, which is 109 fewer than in the previous general election. This contrasts with the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region, where the number increased by 10. This is why they are trying to discover and deploy as many heavyweight figures as possible.

As part of this, former North Korean embassy official in the UK Tae Yong-ho and former Seoul Western District Prosecutor Song Han-seop, who is a doctor, were recruited yesterday and received strategic nominations in Seoul to run in the election. On the 11th, former diplomat Tae held a press conference and declared his candidacy, saying, "I dare to take on the role of achieving true unification through a process of getting to know each other, exchanging, and cooperating."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Veteran lawmakers based in Seoul have volunteered to run in difficult constituencies. This is a kind of "assassin" nomination to fight against heavyweight opponents. Lawmaker Kim Yong-tae is expected to be deployed in Guro-eul, where he may compete against former Blue House National Policy Planning Office chief Yoon Gun-young. Lawmaker Lee Jong-gu, who declared he would not run in Gangnam-gap, may also be strategically nominated in a constituency held by a Blue House official or an economic bureaucrat.

Within the Liberty Korea Party, there is strong hope that lawmaker Yoo Seung-min will run in Seoul after the merger to create momentum. Seong Dong-gyu, director of the Yeouido Research Institute, said on a radio program, "The part where he declared not to run is actually the most heartbreaking. It is expected that Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn will urge him not to withdraw from this general election and to play an active role in recapturing Seoul or the metropolitan area."

Attention is focused on former party leader Hong Joon-pyo’s whereabouts. The party continues to encourage him to run in the metropolitan area, but he strongly wishes to run in his hometown. The nomination committee is also considering excluding him from the Gyeongnam nomination or strategically nominating him in Dongdaemun-gu-eul. Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Tae-ho may run in a tough Gyeongnam district and lead the Gyeongnam election. Chairman Kim said, "The two have taken different political paths. We will prepare appropriate treatment and corresponding measures." He has given them an ultimatum to respond by today.