Formation of Election Committee for Gangseo District Mayor By-election
Lee Cheol-gyu Appointed as Committee Chair
Three Preliminary Candidates Including Former Mayor Kim Tae-woo
The People Power Party formed the Central Party Nomination Committee (Gonggwanwi) for the by-election of the Gangseo District Mayor in Seoul on the 7th and began the candidate recommendation process.
On the same day, the People Power Party held an executive meeting and approved the formation of the Nomination Committee with Secretary-General Lee Cheol-gyu as the chairman. The committee consists of five members: Park Seong-min (Vice President of Strategic Planning), Bae Hyun-jin (Vice President of Organization), Assemblyman Kang Min-guk, Kim Seon-dong, Chairman of the Seoul City Party, and Song Sang-heon, Head of Public Relations.
This by-election is being held because former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo of the People Power Party lost his position after being sentenced to a suspended prison term in May for leaking official secrets, following his exposure of allegations regarding the cover-up of the inspection of former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Cho Kuk. The election date is set for the 11th of next month.
Senior Spokesperson Kang Min-guk, after concluding the on-site executive meeting in Busan, told reporters, "There is no reason for a political party not to recommend a candidate in a by-election, and the Democratic Party also bears responsibility in this Gangseo District Mayor by-election." He added, "The various corruption and allegations exposed by former Mayor Kim Tae-woo as a whistleblower are part of the comprehensive illegal acts caused by the Moon Jae-in administration, including the Cho Kuk incident." He further explained, "Although former Minister Cho Kuk was convicted, the guilty verdict against former Mayor Kim clearly reflects the biased judgment of Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo’s Supreme Court." He continued, "Since this does not fall under the 'no nomination reason' of violating the Public Official Election Act as specified in the party’s constitution and regulations, we decided to field a candidate."
Regarding the possibility of strategically nominating former Mayor Kim Tae-woo, Spokesperson Kang said, "That is a matter for the Nomination Committee to decide." Former Mayor Kim regained his eligibility to run through a special pardon on Liberation Day and has expressed his intention to run in this by-election. Besides him, Kim Jin-seon, Chairman of the Gangseo-byeong District Party Committee in Seoul, and Kim Yong-seong, former Seoul City Council member, have also registered as preliminary candidates for the People Power Party.
Within and outside the party, there has been speculation about the possibility of a strategic nomination for former Mayor Kim Tae-woo, but with Chairman Kim Jin-seon possibly leaving the party to run as an independent, the likelihood of a primary election is increasing.
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