[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Rep. Lee Eon-ju, who faced controversy over strategic nomination in Busan Jung and Yeongdo districts, was ultimately strategically nominated in another Busan district, Nam-gu Eul. Former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo and former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Tae-ho, who refused to run in Seoul and insisted on running in Yangsan and their hometowns respectively, were cut off (excluded from nomination), resulting in mixed fortunes.
Nomination Management Committee Chairman Kim Hyung-oh announced the nomination results for Seoul, Gyeonggi, and the Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam regions on the 5th, including these details.
In the Busan region, strategic nominations were made in two constituencies including Rep. Lee. Former Busan Mayor Seo Byung-soo was given priority recommendation (strategic nomination) for Busan Jin-gu Gap, and Rep. Lee Eon-ju was similarly prioritized for Nam-gu Eul. Although there was controversy among local party officials and lawmakers in Busan regarding Rep. Lee's strategic nomination, Chairman Kim appears to have highly evaluated Rep. Lee's stance during his outside-the-parliament struggle.
Additionally, Park Soo-young, current head of the Korea Peninsula Advancement Foundation, was solely recommended in Busan Nam-gu Gap; former lawmaker Park Min-sik in Busan Buk-gu·Gangseo-gu Gap; Kim Won-sung, a Supreme Council member of the United Party, in Busan Buk-gu·Gangseo-gu Eul; former senior vice president of the Busan Bar Association Kim Mi-ae in Busan Haeundae-gu Eul; United Party Supreme Council member Cho Kyung-tae in Busan Saha-gu Eul; and Rep. Jang Je-won in Busan Sasang-gu were all solely recommended.
In Ulsan Buk-gu, former lawmaker Park Dae-dong was solely recommended; in Gyeongnam Changwon Uichang-gu, Rep. Park Wan-soo; in Gyeongnam Tongyeong·Goseong counties, Rep. Jeong Jeom-sik; and in Gyeongnam Miryang·Uiryeong·Haman Changnyeon counties, former lawmaker Cho Hae-jin were all solely recommended. Former Deputy Mayor of Geoje City Seo Il-jun and Rep. Yoon Young-seok were solely recommended in Gyeongnam Geoje City and Yangsan City Gap respectively.
Also, Kim Dae-ho, director of the Social Design Research Institute, was solely recommended in Seoul Gwanak-gu Gap; Yeom O-bong, head of 'Kkoljji Eomneun Geulbang' (a writing school with no last place) in Seongnam-si Sujeong-gu, Gyeonggi; former Pyeongtaek Mayor Gong Jae-kwang in Pyeongtaek-si Gap; Rep. Yoo Ui-dong in Pyeongtaek-si Eul; former Liberty Korea Party Goyang-si Gap party committee chairman Lee Kyung-hwan in Goyang-si Gap, Gyeonggi; former Minister of Science and Technology Kim Young-hwan in Goyang-si Byeong; former Gwangju Mayor Jo Eok-dong in Gwangju-si Gap; and Lee Jong-gu, chairman of the Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Venture Business Committee, in Gwangju-si Eul were all solely recommended. Former Liberty Korea Party Nonsan-Gyeryong-Geumsan organizational chairman Park Woo-seok was solely recommended in Chungnam Nonsan·Gyeryong·Geumsan.
Many primary election regions were also announced. In Seoul Dongdaemun-gu Eul, where cut-off Rep. Lee Hye-hoon applied, a primary will be held among Rep. Lee, political commentator Min Young-sam, and Kyung Hee University political science and diplomacy adjunct professor Kang Myung-gu. In Gyeonggi Wonmi-gu Eul, former lawmaker Im Hae-gyu and Seo Young-seok, director of the Korea Youth Future Federation, will compete.
In Busan Jung and Yeongdo districts, where Rep. Lee Eon-ju was initially expected to be strategically nominated, former lawmaker policy advisor Kang Sung-woon and former Busan Metropolitan Council Economic and Cultural Committee Chair Hwang Bo-seung-hee will compete in a primary. In Busan Dongnae-gu, former Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries policy advisor Kim Hee-gon and former Blue House National Policy Planning Office administrator Seo Ji-young will compete in a primary. In Busan Haeundae-gu Gap, where Rep. Ha Tae-kyung is running, a three-way primary will be held among Rep. Ha, former Busan District Prosecutor Seok Dong-hyun, and former lawmaker Jo Jeon-hyuk.
In Busan Geumjeong-gu and Yeonje-gu, Kim Jong-cheon, director of Youngpa Medical Foundation Gyurim Nursing Hospital, and former Geumjeong-gu mayor Won Jeong-hee, as well as former lawmaker Kim Hee-jung and former Liberty Korea Party Yeonje-gu party committee chairman Lee Ju-hwan, will compete in primaries respectively. Primaries will also be held in Busan Gijang-gun, Ulsan Jung-gu, Ulsan Nam-gu Eul, Ulsan Dong-gu, and Ulsan Ulju-gun. Notably, former Korean Party Secretary-General Park Maeng-woo will compete in a primary in Ulsan Nam-gu Eul, and United Party full-time deputy spokesperson Jang Neung-in will compete in Nam-gu Eul and Ulju-gun primaries respectively.
Primaries will also take place in Gyeongnam Changwon Masanhappo-gu, Masanhoewon-gu, Jinhae-gu, Jinju-si Eul, and Gyeongnam Sacheon·Namhae·Hadong counties. Rep. Yoon Han-hong will compete in Masanhoewon-gu against former National Assembly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee Chair An Hong-jun and United Party party representative full-time advisor Jo Cheong-rae. Former Grand National Party party leader Kim Young-seon will compete in Jinhae-gu against former Changwon City 2nd Deputy Mayor Yoo Won-seok and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Dal-gon.
Additionally, the regions of Gyeongnam Yangsan-si Eul, where former leader Hong Joon-pyo ran, and Gyeongnam Sancheong·Hamyang·Geochang·Hapcheon counties, where former Governor Kim ran, were designated as primary election areas, effectively cutting off the two senior politicians. In Yangsan-si Eul, former Yangsan Mayor Na Dong-yeon, former Gyeongsangnam-do Council member Park In, and former Gyeongnam Council member Lee Jang-kwon will compete in a primary, while in Sancheong·Hamyang·Geochang·Hapcheon, Rep. Kang Seok-jin and former lawmaker Shin Sung-beom will compete.
Chairman Kim explained the cut-off of former leader Hong by saying, "There was a consistent direction and policy within the nomination committee," and regarding Hong's possible independent candidacy, he said, "We considered all possibilities." He added, "That (cut-off) aligns better with the significance of the general election and the party's ideology toward the future," and "I believe Hong will make a good judgment on what is right for the country's development."
Regarding whether the cut-off former leader Hong and former Governor Kim will be nominated in any other regions later, he said, "In politics, the phrase 'under any circumstances' is not accurate, but our nomination committee made the decision after very in-depth discussions," and "We have not left the back door open."
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