People Power Party Holds Supreme Council Meeting Led by Leader Lee Jun-seok on the Morning of the 13th; Decides to Strategically Nominate Jo Seong-myeong, Former Chairman of Gangnam District Council, as Candidate for Gangnam District Mayor in the June 1 Local Elections
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Ultimately, former Gangnam District Council Chairman Jo Seong-myeong (photo, 65) was confirmed as the People Power Party's candidate for Gangnam District Mayor in Seoul.
On the morning of the 13th, the People Power Party decided at the Supreme Council meeting chaired by Representative Lee Jun-seok to strategically nominate former Gangnam District Council Chairman Jo as the candidate for Gangnam District Mayor in the June 1 local elections.
After the Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly that morning, Party Leader Lee Jun-seok told reporters, "We have approved candidate Jo Seong-myeong as the candidate for Gangnam District Mayor in Seoul," adding, "With this, our party's local election nominations have been finalized."
The previous day, the party's Supreme Council decided not to nominate Seo Myeong-ok, former head of the Gangnam District Health Center who ranked first in the second round of the Gangnam District Mayor primary, and instead strategically nominated former Chairman Jo. This was due to concerns that allegations of election law violations raised by former National Assembly member Lee Eun-jae against Seo could become problematic.
Leader Lee stated, "The various issues that arose at the end regarding the Gangnam District Mayor nomination were due to an overheated final primary process, which led to electioneering that distorted the primary results."
In particular, there is a rumor that the argument to recommend someone who has succeeded through their own efforts in the community rather than a well-known figure as the Gangnam District Mayor candidate, thereby giving hope to young people, gained persuasive power, attracting attention.
Thus, former Gangnam District Council Chairman Jo Seong-myeong was confirmed as the final candidate for Gangnam District Mayor, drawing interest toward candidate Jo.
Candidate Jo is originally from Dangjin, Chungnam, and after moving to Seoul, he started from a supermarket and is known as a local politician with considerable wealth.
Jo, who operates D Mart in Dogok-dong and has extensive experience in the distribution industry, served as a Gangnam District Council member from 2010 to 2014 and, unusually for a first-term member, held the position of Gangnam District Council Chairman, indicating a solid local base.
It is understood that Jo actively engaged in community service by serving as Vice President of the Barun Saelgi Association and the Korea Youth Development Association under the National Police Agency.
Notably, Jo previously ran for Gangnam District Mayor during the 7th local government term four years ago but failed due to the strategic nomination of candidate Jang Young-cheol at that time, showing his momentum by succeeding on his second attempt.
Ok Jong-sik, former Secretary-General of the Gangnam District Council and former chief of staff for Gangnam District Mayor preliminary candidate Jo Seong-myeong, said, "Candidate Jo is a local politician who has earned much virtue, with many around him giving positive evaluations of his character and other aspects."
Candidate Jo is also a scholar who earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Administration and a Doctorate in Public Administration from Dankook University through diligent study while working.
Meanwhile, interest is growing in the background of the favorable atmosphere among Gangnam District Office executives regarding former Chairman Jo Seong-myeong becoming the district mayor candidate.
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