All Members May Be Replaced Following Seocho-eul Primary Results
Democratic Party Assigns Incumbents and Regional Committee Chairs
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The candidate lineup for the April 15 general election 'Gangnam Belt' is taking shape. The Democratic Party and the United Future Party have completed about 90% of the nominations in this area. While the Democratic Party, which confirmed candidates early, has positioned many incumbents and candidates who have developed the region, the United Future Party stands out for bringing in new faces. This has created a 'incumbent versus newcomer' dynamic.
On the 2nd, the United Future Party confirmed nominations for all but two of the eight constituencies in the three Gangnam districts (Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa) through an additional nomination announcement. Seocho-eul will hold a primary election between former Blue House economic chief Kang Seok-hoon and Representative Park Seong-joong on the 5th to 6th. Gangnam-byeong's candidate confirmation was postponed due to possible changes in the constituency boundaries.
The new faces confirmed for the Gangnam Belt can be summarized as experts recruited by the party, members of the United Future faction, and well-known political newcomers.
In constituencies where United Future Party incumbents were present, former Ambassador Tae Young-ho to the UK was nominated for Gangnam-gap, which was vacated by Representative Lee Jong-gu who declared candidacy in a tough metropolitan area. Seocho-gap, where Representative Lee Hye-hoon was cut off (excluded from nomination), saw Professor Yoon Hee-sook of the Korea Development Institute (KDI) Graduate School of International Policy Strategy nominated strategically. These individuals were directly recruited by the party's nomination management committee. Former Ambassador Tae registered as a preliminary candidate on the 3rd, marking the start of his official campaign. Former Chief Prosecutor Kim Woong was confirmed as the candidate for Songpa-gap, where Representative Park In-sook is not running.
Additionally, among constituencies with Democratic Party incumbents, former ING Asset Management CEO Choi Hong was placed in Gangnam-eul. Former MBC announcer and two-year party branch chair Bae Hyun-jin was confirmed as the candidate for Songpa-eul. Professor Kim Geun-sik, classified as part of the former Ahn Cheol-soo faction within the United Future Party, was selected for Songpa-byeong.
Within the Democratic Party, four out of six constituencies with confirmed nominations have incumbents running. Unlike the United Future Party, which is replacing incumbents, the Democratic Party entrusted incumbents to defend their districts once again: Jeon Hyun-hee in Gangnam-eul, Choi Jae-sung in Songpa-eul, and Nam In-soon in Songpa-byeong. Park Kyung-mi secured the nomination for Seocho-eul through a primary. Other constituencies will also field existing local committee heads such as Lee Jeong-geun in Seocho-gap and Kim Seong-gon in Gangnam-gap.
Although the Gangnam Belt has a strong image as a conservative stronghold, the results of the last election suggest that a sweeping victory for the United Future Party is not guaranteed. Conservative forces, including the United Future Party, secured only five out of eight constituencies, while the Democratic Party won three constituencies, causing an upset. Even in Gangnam-byeong, which was considered favorable to the Saenuri Party at the time, the Democratic candidate secured 40% of the vote, and many other areas were won after close contests.
A political insider said, "If the People's Party candidate had not taken some votes from the Democratic Party, there would have been more losses. The United Future Party can no longer be complacent in the Gangnam Belt, and the Democratic Party has a fighting chance here."
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