People Power Party in Internal Conflict Over 'Incumbent Candidacy'... "Should Be Avoided" "Personal Opinion"

Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is attending the full meeting of the Committee for Accompanying the Underprivileged held at the National Assembly on the 5th, participating in the national ceremony. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The People Power Party is experiencing internal conflict over whether to allow incumbent lawmakers to run in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections scheduled for April next year.

As Kim Sang-hoon, the head of the primary preparation committee who is refining the by-election primary rules, made remarks suggesting that incumbent lawmakers should refrain from running, Seo Byung-soo, a lawmaker included in the candidate pool for the Busan mayoral by-election, publicly expressed dissatisfaction. On the 5th, Kim Jong-in, the emergency response committee chairman, met with reporters and said, "(This is) Kim's personal opinion, and nothing has been finalized yet," attempting to clarify the situation.

At the 'Special Invitation Debate for Selecting Good Candidates' hosted by the Pan-Civil Society Coalition (Beomsaryeon) and supported by the 'Mapo Forum' led by former lawmaker Kim Moo-sung, Kim Sang-hoon said, "It is up to those who intend to run to decide, but creating another cause for a by-election is undesirable." He added, "Among incumbent lawmakers, there are currently no noticeable candidates for Seoul mayor, but if an incumbent lawmaker considers running for Busan mayor, the party leadership also thinks that, considering the number of seats and other circumstances, they should refrain from running."

Seo Byung-soo, included in the candidate pool for the Busan mayoral by-election, immediately expressed public dissatisfaction. On the same day, he posted on his Facebook, "There are various talks within the primary preparation committee about who is not allowed and who will be given extra points, but I cannot help but ask why they want to engage in subtractive politics and whether this truly reflects the exact will of all party members and the leadership," expressing displeasure. He added, "We must not lower the party's competitiveness by aligning with specific political factions."

As internal noise arose within the party, Kim Sang-hoon stated, "It seems that Chairman Kim expressed a personal opinion. Nothing has been finalized yet, so there is no need to talk this or that," attempting to calm the situation.

Spokesperson Kim Eun-hye also said, "All primary rules will be announced by mid-month," and "Kim Sang-hoon's remarks were also made during the process of finalizing the primary rules and are not definitive." She explained, "Since everything depends on the intentions of those who want to run, it cannot be forced," but added, "(Kim Sang-hoon's remarks) reflect the leadership's intention and the concerns of those involved, suggesting that incumbent lawmakers should refrain from running as much as possible considering the number of seats."

In fact, earlier last month, right after a lecture at the Mapo Forum, Kim Sang-hoon told reporters, "If an incumbent lawmaker runs, a new election for the National Assembly must be held. It is most appropriate for new figures to emerge."

The persistent 'no incumbent lawmaker' argument, mainly from non-incumbent figures, is also a burden for the party leadership. Lee Gap-san, the executive representative of Beomsaryeon, attended the debate the day before and strongly opposed, saying, "I will even go to protests to block incumbent lawmakers from running."