[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The deadline for filing appeals regarding the results of the Democratic Party of Korea's first primary election to select candidates for the April 15 general election ends on the 28th. The first primary, announced on the 26th, saw a series of 'upsets' as many incumbent lawmakers within the party were eliminated. In 21 primary districts where outsiders and incumbents competed, seven incumbents tasted defeat.
Amid various controversies and interpretations such as "a natural reshuffle" and "a large number of party non-mainstream members were eliminated," lawmakers Lee Seok-hyun, Shim Jae-kwon, and Lee Chun-seok accepted the results, stating they "respect the primary outcome." Lee Seok-hyun, a six-term lawmaker and former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, posted on his Facebook on the 27th, "After tallying the votes, I lost by 4%. I congratulate the winner of the primary and wish for a landslide victory for the Democratic Party nationwide." Lawmaker Shim also said, "I humbly accept the primary results," and "I congratulate candidate Lee Hae-sik on his victory and deeply thank everyone who supported me."
On the other hand, some lawmakers requested a re-examination. Lawmaker Yoo Seung-hee held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 27th, stating, "Distorted results have come out," and announced her intention to file an appeal. At the press conference, Yoo said, "I absolutely cannot accept the results of the party members' and general public's votes," and "I have many suspicions about the primary voting results. I will formally file an objection and request a re-examination." She was defeated by candidate Kim Young-bae, a former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary and Seongbuk District Mayor, in the Seoul Seongbuk-gap primary.
Preliminary candidates in Geoje, Gyeongnam, also raised objections. In this area, three preliminary candidates?Moon Sang-mo, Baek Soon-hwan, and Lee Ki-woo?competed in the primary. These candidates filed for a re-examination, claiming that candidate Moon distorted and publicized the opinion poll results under the assumption of an internal party primary, thereby obstructing the primary. Candidate Baek also requested a re-examination.
According to the Democratic Party's party constitution and regulations, candidates can file a re-examination request with the Central Party Public Office Election Candidate Recommendation Re-examination Committee within 48 hours from the announcement of the primary results. The Re-examination Committee reports the results to the Supreme Council, and if the objections are accepted, measures such as candidate replacement or re-primary must be taken. If a candidate replacement is necessary, approval from the Party Affairs Committee must be obtained.
In fact, if there are valid reasons, decisions can be overturned through re-examination. Currently, Yoon Hu-duk, the Democratic Party's floor deputy leader, was saved by a re-examination in 2016. At that time, the Nomination Management Committee excluded him from the nomination by reflecting the decision of the 'General Election Youth Network,' formed by 16 youth organizations, which designated Yoon as a candidate to be dropped.
However, the organization later sent a letter withdrawing the designation, and the party said, "The basis itself has disappeared," and saved Yoon. It is also interpreted that the public sentiment in Yoon's constituency, Paju-gap, influenced the decision. At that time, Yoon's supporters submitted a petition signed by 1,000 local residents requesting the withdrawal of the exclusion from nomination and held protest rallies.
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