"Make Sure to Answer Calls from 02"... Candidates Nervous About Cutoff

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As the preliminary survey (cutoff) to select the finalists for the People Power Party's party convention main election began on the 8th, candidates for Supreme Council Member and Youth Supreme Council Member each urged voters to "please answer calls coming from 02" to win support. Endorsements for candidates are also continuing.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Sung-joong, a 'Pro-Yoon (친윤)' lawmaker running for the People Power Party Supreme Council Member, posted on his social media on the 8th, "Calls for the party convention survey are coming," and raised his voice asking for support in the survey for himself, who is "the eternal success running mate of the Yoon Seok-yeol government and the conservative bulldozer that will break through the Democratic Party's shield." He also shared an image file introducing a three-step voting method: ▲Answer calls starting with 02 ▲Select 'Park Sung-joong' ▲Listen until the end and then hang up. Similarly, Jo Soo-jin, also running for Supreme Council Member, urged voters to "make sure to say my name" and vote for her in the survey.

Heo Eun-ah, a 'Non-Yoon (비윤)' faction Supreme Council Member candidate, also introduced detailed voting methods for Supreme Council Member on SNS with hashtags '#TheLastStrongholdProtectingIntraPartyDemocracy' and '#Let'sHaveCompleteFreePrimaryWithBottomUpNomination.' She appealed, "If you want intra-party democracy, please make Heo Eun-ah a Supreme Council Member." Kim Yong-tae, also from the Non-Yoon faction, stimulated voter sentiment by saying, "Nomination rights to 1 million party members! We will complete party democracy through bottom-up nominations."

The reason they unanimously ask party members to answer calls starting with '02' is that based on the survey results conducted over two days targeting 6,000 responsible party members from the 8th to the 9th, the finalists for the main election will be decided on the 10th. Four candidates for party leader, eight for Supreme Council Member, and four for Youth Supreme Council Member will advance to the main election. Since five out of thirteen Supreme Council Member candidates will be cut off, it is necessary to appeal to voter sentiment as much as possible to avoid being among the 'five cutoffs.'

The competition is even fiercer for Youth Supreme Council Members. Among eleven candidates, seven will be cut off, and they have lower recognition than party leader or Supreme Council Member candidates. Not only candidates but also supporters are appealing for votes.

Gu Hyuk-mo, a former People Power Party Innovation Committee member running for Youth Supreme Council Member, appealed to supporters on SNS, saying, "Please do not misunderstand the survey calls as voice phishing just because they are interviewer surveys," and asked them to answer the survey calls. Candidate Kim Ga-ram also posted on SNS asking, "Please choose Kim Ga-ram, a 10-year traditional conservative youth, in the survey."

Lee Ki-in, a candidate from the 'Lee Jun-seok faction,' raised his voice saying, "A contest between the Yoon-heart appealers and reform appealers," and asked, "Please judge who should enter the leadership." Along with him, Cheon Ha-ram, who declared himself a 'Non-Yoon' party leader candidate, supported him on SNS saying, "'Please choose Lee Ki-in.' He created a regime change in Seongnam City after 12 years and was the first to expose the Seongnam FC suspicions involving Governor Lee Jae-myung when everyone hesitated."