An Min-seok Proposes Unification to Two Candidates... Only Yeom Tae-young Agrees, Jo Jeong-sik Draws a Line
Shim Jae-cheol Withdraws After Supporting Kim Eun-hye... Yoo-Kim Dual Power Structure Solidifies in People Power Party
[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Oh Ju-yeon] The primary race for the Gyeonggi Province governor, considered the biggest battleground in the June 1 local elections, is taking shape. In the Democratic Party of Korea, a coalition of candidates opposing Kim Dong-yeon, the leader of the New Wave party and a ‘rolling stone’ candidate, is forming. Meanwhile, in the People Power Party, former National Assembly Deputy Speaker Shim Jae-cheol’s withdrawal and endorsement of former lawmaker Kim Eun-hye have clarified the ‘Yoo Seung-min vs. Kim Eun-hye’ contest.
On the 12th, former Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young held a press conference urging Kim to promptly complete the merger process and participate in open debates for candidate verification. Warning that Kim could become a ‘Trojan horse,’ he proposed, "Let’s hold at least two preliminary candidate debate sessions."
He also expressed disappointment toward the party for dragging its feet on the merger issue. Former Mayor Yeom said, "We cannot afford to waste time without even presenting a minimum verification schedule for an election that will choose the captain to lead 13.6 million people in Gyeonggi Province," adding, "It is very regrettable that the party leadership is showing extremely unfair and unreasonable behavior during the Gyeonggi primary process."
The merger procedure between the Democratic Party and New Wave is set to conclude on the 15th. The Democratic Party’s Emergency Committee plans to resolve the merger at the Central Committee meeting on that day. However, considering the primary schedule, the other three candidates commonly agree that there is too little time left to verify Kim’s candidacy afterward.
A representative from lawmaker Jo Jung-sik’s camp, another primary candidate, said, "The voter turnout in Gyeonggi is crucial. If turnout is low, winning Gyeonggi will be difficult, so we need to raise turnout, and for that, candidate verification must be expedited starting now." He added, "Kim, who hasn’t been verified, merged first, and some expect multiple allegations related to Kim to surface. If we start verification after the 15th, there won’t be enough time."
As a result, the Democratic Party’s Gyeonggi governor primary is shaping up as a ‘Kim Dong-yeon vs. anti-Kim Dong-yeon’ confrontation. In particular, lawmaker Ahn Min-seok proposed candidate unification to Jo and former Mayor Yeom, making the ‘anti-Kim Dong-yeon’ coalition more visible. Ahn initially requested answers from the two candidates by that day regarding unification, but only former Mayor Yeom agreed. Jo’s camp said, "There is absolutely no possibility," and added, "While we have some grievances with the party and Kim, a three-way unification that divides the party is not right for the party’s victory." Ahn’s camp said, "If a three-way unification is impossible, we can consider a two-way unification."
In the People Power Party, the primary race between former lawmaker Yoo and lawmaker Kim is becoming clearer.
Former Deputy Speaker Shim Jae-cheol announced his withdrawal and declared support for lawmaker Kim on the same day. Notably, Shim had actively prepared for the Gyeonggi governor primary, holding an opening event at his office in Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 9th. The fact that he withdrew just three days later led to speculation that party pressure may have influenced his decision.
Shim left a pointed remark, saying, "With the extreme political engineering and vote calculations, including the candidacy of a defeated presidential candidate in a by-election, the true meaning and dream of local autonomy are drifting further away."
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