Democratic Party Delays Local Election Nomination Schedule to After March Presidential Election (Update)

On the afternoon of the 18th, at the joint meeting of the Democratic Party of Korea and the Open Democratic Party merger committee held at the National Assembly, representatives including Song Young-gil and Choi Kang-wook joined hands.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to postpone all nomination schedules for the 7th nationwide simultaneous local elections, scheduled for June, until after the presidential election on March 9.

Kim Young-jin, head of the General Affairs Headquarters of the Democratic Party's Election Countermeasures Committee and party secretary-general, held a press briefing at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 18th to announce this policy. He explained, "There have been criticisms that local election officials and incumbent local council members are either focusing on their own elections or neglecting the presidential election, so the intention is to concentrate on winning the presidential election."

Additionally, the Democratic Party decided to implement three more measures related to the local elections: postponing the establishment of the nomination verification committee, delaying the registration date for preliminary candidates, and finalizing the nomination rules and details after the presidential election.