Will the Hunjunghoe President Election Landscape Change... "Conservative Grand Alliance Agreement"

The 'Korea National Assembly Alumni Association (hereinafter referred to as the Alumni Association),' composed of former members of the National Assembly, will hold an election on the 21st to select the next president. Among the four registered candidates, the conservative party candidate Kim Dong-joo has successfully reached unification agreements one after another, intensifying the election battle.

The Alumni Association presidential election is usually contested between candidates from the conservative party faction and the Democratic Party faction. The conservative party faction traces its roots to YS (Kim Young-sam), a faction of the Democratic Party, who went through the Unified Democratic Party and the three-party merger, continuing to the current People Power Party. The Democratic Party faction is rooted in DJ (Kim Dae-jung), a new faction of the Democratic Party, who left the Unified Democratic Party to establish the Peace Democratic Party, continuing to the current Democratic Party of Korea.

In this election, from the conservative party faction, the current (22nd) Alumni Association president and five-term member Kim Il-yoon, three-term member Kim Dong-joo, and three-term member Jang Kyung-woo have run, while from the Democratic Party faction, five-term member Jeong Dae-chul has run. With three candidates from the conservative party, the possibility of vote splitting was considered, creating a favorable situation for candidate Jeong Dae-chul.

Candidate Jang Kyung-woo (left) and candidate Kim Dong-joo are taking a commemorative photo after signing the agreement to unify conservative coalition candidates in the 23rd President election of the Korea Constitutional Association.

However, as candidate Kim Dong-joo successfully unified with other conservative party candidates one after another, a change in the election dynamics became inevitable. On the 5th, Kim Dong-joo reached a unification agreement with candidate Jang Kyung-woo, and on the 13th, he also agreed to unify with candidate Kim Il-yoon.

Candidates Kim Dong-joo and Kim Il-yoon stated, "The National Assembly is composed mainly of specific regions and factions, causing tremendous economic and social suffering domestically and internationally. The resulting economic losses are so severe that the country's future is at risk." They added, "We will unconditionally support the unified candidate and ensure an overwhelming victory to set an example for junior lawmakers and the public." Candidate Kim Dong-joo emphasized, "I will do my best to achieve a conservative grand coalition through strong leadership."

However, it is reported that it has not yet been decided which of the two, Kim Dong-joo or Kim Il-yoon, will run as the unified candidate. Within the conservative party, there is speculation that "if no candidate surpasses the majority in the first round and a runoff election is held, the candidate with more votes will be supported in the unification process."

In response, candidate Jeong Dae-chul said, "The Alumni Association, as an organization of former National Assembly members, must reestablish its status in line with its identity," adding, "The Alumni Association should be able to serve as a nonpartisan national elder organization."

Meanwhile, the Alumni Association was founded in 1968 as the National Assembly Members' Friendship Association. It became a statutory organization under the Korea National Assembly Alumni Association Promotion Act enacted in 1991. It is dedicated to policy research and recommendations for constitutional development and promoting international cooperation projects. Currently, it has about 1,100 members, including former presidents and former speakers of the National Assembly.