[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Kim Seok-ki, a member of the United Future Party who had been cut off (excluded from nomination), dramatically secured his nomination at the last minute. The party leadership overturned the nomination results for Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, and put the area to a primary election.
On the 26th afternoon, the United Future Party gathered representatives of each candidate at the National Assembly in Gyeongbuk to notify the primary election results for Gyeongju and Geumjeong District, Busan.
In Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, Representative Kim received 53% of the votes, defeating Kim Won-gil, chairman of the party's Central Committee's Subcommittee on the People's Economy, who received 47%. Initially, Park Byung-hoon, former chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council's Steering Committee, had been nominated for the area, but the party leadership invalidated this. The party's nomination committee then re-nominated Chairman Kim, but the party leadership overturned this decision and held a primary election between Representative Kim and Chairman Kim.
In Geumjeong, Busan, former Busan City Council Chairman Baek Jong-heon defeated former Geumjeong District Mayor Won Jeong-hee to secure the nomination. Similarly, Kim Jong-cheon, director of Yeongpa Medical Foundation Hospital, had initially been recommended as the sole candidate, but the party leadership invalidated this. The nomination committee re-nominated former Mayor Won, but the party leadership decided to hold a primary election between former Chairman Baek and former Mayor Won, with former Chairman Baek ultimately winning. In both regions, the candidates changed according to the leadership's decision.
Unlike previous primary opinion polls conducted by external organizations, the United Future Party's think tank, Yeouido Research Institute, conducted the poll on 1,000 people starting at 10 a.m. on the day.
With the nominations for these two regions completed, the United Future Party has finalized nominations for 239 out of 253 constituencies nationwide.
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